Doing the Natural Thing
by Alucino
Summary: Maura and Jane, clueless about the true nature of their relationship as well as their feelings towards each other, decide to take the next natural step in their relationship.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, so I find this plotline a bit stupid 'cuz it make Maura and Jane look so incredibly clueless, but then I figured that that is just as how they appear on the show so then I thought I might as well just go ahead and write and post it. I hope you'll agree. Or like it either way :)**

**It set sometime during the last half of season 2 with a slight reference to at least "Sailor Man".**

**And I still don't owe anything of the show.**

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><p><strong>Doing the Natural Thing<strong>

She knew she had never been very patient.

Her mother had scolded her about it throughout her childhood – and still did for that matter – and she knew it was one of those traits that Maura found less pleasant in her. At times she could even agree with them and see their point, and try to be more accommodating.

But taking more than two minutes to get dressed to watch a baseball game at a friend's place was to Jane just a waste of time. Precious time that could be used to so many better things.

Her fashionista of a friend did not seem to agree.

She didn't know how long it had been since Maura disappeared to get ready, but she sure as hell was getting tired of waiting. Not that she usually couldn't find something to entertain herself with at Maura's place – she had after all become quite at home in the big fancy house with the HD TV that was to die for – but now she was starting to get bored. Even going over to Frost's a couple of minutes earlier than they were supposed to, seemed at the moment as a good idea.

And so the words passing her lips the next minute felt completely justified.

"Hey Maur! Hurry up, would you?" she called over her shoulder and fell down in the sofa. "We're gonna be late!"

"Don't rush me," the sound of Maura's voice, calm and composed as ever, came back from the bedroom. "I'll be done in a minute."

Shaking her head in unimpressed wonder, Jane reached for the TV remote. "God, you'd think pulling something on wouldn't have to take forever-," she muttered to herself and uninterested zapped through the channels.

"You know I never just 'pull something on'," the ME, who'd just entered the room, said calmly. "And to use the phrase 'forever' is quite an overstatement, Jane. It's even physiologically impossible as it would require my organs to be infinitely vital."

Mostly just happy to hear that her friend was done, Jane smiled and turned off the TV. She turned around to reply but when she saw the way too fancy dress her friend was wearing, she dropped whatever she was about to say.

"Geez-," she instead said, staring at Maura in disbelief, "we're going over to Frost's Maur, not the freaking ballet."

Although she wasn't particularly surprised to hear her friend's ignorance Maura squinted her eyes displeased at the detective.

After offering a slight apologetic smile in return, Jane jumped up from the sofa. "So you done?"

"I am. But I don't see why you're so stressed, Jane," Maura said and walked over to the kitchen, putting on her heels while doing so. "We have plenty of time. It's still-," she looked at the Cartier watch gracing her wrist, "-27 minutes until the game start."

Knowing Maura indeed was right, Jane hooked her thumbs in her pockets and shrugged. "Yeah well, if we want a taste of those home made garlic fries Frost has been bragging about we better get there before Korsak does," she then said, figuring she should have some kind of reason for her impatience.

But knowing she better get ready as well if she wouldn't want Maura to get back at her later, she changed the subject. "Hey, do you know where my Red Sox jersey is?" she asked, puzzled what had become of her favourite baseball-watching shirt. "I think I left it here after we went to that game last week."

"Why don't you look in the sofa? Or at the dining table," Maura replied, not appearing too involved as she picked up a strawberry to feed Bass. "I have noticed how you have a tendency to drop your things wherever you happen to land," she then added with a slight impatient, yet facetiously, tone of voice.

"Hey! I have manners!" Jane shot back, feigning offended. "I don't 'drop things wherever I land'." And despite believing that her friend was incorrect with her statement, she discreetly, not to let Maura notice, quickly scanned over the sofa once more and lifting a pillow or two in search of her jersey, before she headed over to the hallway.

"Well it might still be at your place," Maura then suggested somewhat more cooperatively as she affectionately patted the shell of her pet tortoise. "We can stop there on the way if you'd like."

Busy ransacking one of the hall drawers for the misplaced piece of clothing, Jane just grumbled her reply. And digging through the wide mixture of hers and Maura's things she couldn't help but be quite amazed by the fair amount of stuff she seemed to have there. She may not just casually throw her things around her at Maura's place, she figured, but she sure as hell didn't seem to have a problem leaving half of her belongings there. "God, it would just be so much easier if we just had our stuff at the same place," she grumbled to herself as she left the drawer and instead stretched herself to look on the top of the closet shelf.

But although the detective's grumbling was meant more to herself than the ME, the statement did not go by unnoticed to Maura.

Just being done feeding Bass she stood up, tilted her head to give herself a moment to consider it, before looking at her friend. "Why don't we?"

Not really listening too much of what Maura was saying, Jane instead just let out a victorious grin for herself as she just found her jersey.

"Why don't we what?" she then however replied absent-mindedly as she pulled the jersey over her head.

"Live together," Maura replied straightforward and walked over towards her friend.

Not quite sharing Maura's casualness about the matter, Jane hurriedly fought to get herself out from under the sweater, before staring wide-eyed at her friend. "What?"

"Why don't we live together?" Maura repeated, believing her friend hadn't heard her the first time.

Befuddled Jane tried to find something to say. But completely thrown off from Maura's suggestion - even more so than she should, she realized – she had nothing.

"We- we couldn't live together Maura", she then finally managed to say, distressed by her own sudden appeared nervousness.

But Maura didn't notice her friend's anxiety, and instead just furrowed her forehead confused. "Why not?"

"Because we-, we're-," Jane fumbled with her words, in vain trying to find a sensible reply; a reply that could both satisfy her friend's question and give answers to her own slight confusing nervous reaction. "Why would we?" she instead blurted out, changing tactics.

"For the reason you just mentioned Jane," Maura replied, sounding slightly confused herself. "So that you wouldn't have to wonder where you have your things. So I wouldn't have to have things at your place that I later am in need of here."

"Oh yeah, misplaced stuff-," Jane muttered sarcastically, "-yeah that's a great reason to live with each other Maur."

"Well it's not just the things," Maura continued confidently, really starting to wonder why they weren't living together. Or at least she found herself quite unable to find a reason why they shouldn't. "I mean you are practically living here already as it is."

"No I'm not," Jane hurriedly blurted out in a desperate attempt to convince them both. "I just like hanging out here. That's different."

Maura just gave her a very meaning look in reply, as if pointing out the flaws in Jane's statement. "You know that's not really the case. You _are_ practically living here, Jane. You're the only one sleeping in my guestroom and as that is the case the room has practically become yours, and you have more than a whole drawer full of your clothes and things over here. And even your mother is living here. Or well-," she paused, altering her phrasing, "-in the guesthouse that is."

"Oh we would not live this close to ma," Jane blurted out at hearing Maura bringing up her mother. "Either she goes or you're moving in with me."

Surprised to hear her friend's sudden change of heart, Maura couldn't help the wide happy smile spreading in her face. "So that means we will move in together?"

"What?" Jane exclaimed panicked, just realizing what she had said. "No!"

But seeing the wonderful smile that previously had graced her friend's face fading, she immediately felt guilty. "I mean c'mon Maur, it would look weird," she tried patiently, hoping it would explain her reluctance. Maybe Maura was a bit socially awkward and unaccustomed to how the social world worked, but Jane knew that moving in together would look strange. It was simply just not something best friends did – no matter how much they liked spending time with each other. And even if she knew that Maura may be correct - that she was staying at Maura's place more than maybe she should, and that Maura did the same at Jane's place - she simply couldn't shake that feeling that it was something not quite right with what Maura was suggesting.

"Weird?" Maura echoed confused, unable to see the strangeness about it. "Why?"

Jane sighed at her friend's obliviousness, all the while trying to work her head around her own reluctance as well. "I mean you don't live together if you don't have a reason," she then said. "Either you're in a relationship or something, or you're in some economical difficulties and need someone to split the rent with."

"Oh," Maura said as if this was new, as well as odd, information.

"And I mean we don't fit any of those types," Jane continued somewhat automatically to further strengthen her point.

But when Maura didn't answer, Jane felt some sort of panic rush over her.

"Right?" she asked a bit too nervously for her own liking.

For just a short, yet significant, moment, Maura was silent, before she replied. "No. Of course not."

And not really letting Maura to continue, Jane was quick to go on with whatever argument that came to her mind. "And I mean at our age we're supposed to have the husband and the kids and the whole freaking picket fence thing. Or at least be on the way getting it." She leaned against the drawer behind her, suddenly feeling a bit weary. "And if we moved in together wouldn't exactly speed up that process."

Maura looked puzzled at her friend. "I don't see why us living together would cause a problem with us finding suitable mates."

Again Jane stared at her friend for her obliviousness. "No, I mean why would it?" she then replied, her voice thick with sarcasm. "And why not just share our dates while we're at it as well. I'm sure that would be a hit."

"Jane!" Maura exclaimed, her eyes wide in shock. "Are you suggesting us to engage in sexual activities similar to what Giovanni proposed?"

"What?" Jane looked at her friend in confusion for just half a second before realization quickly settled. "No! What the hell Maur!" she exclaimed in a wild mixture of shock, confusion and embarrassment. "God!" she then exhaled heavily, just wanting the discussion – and the images it brought to her mind – to disappear.

"Oh-," Maura uttered at hearing her friend's obvious reluctance and didn't even try to hide her slight disappointment.

But hearing that just caused Jane a new round of shock.

"Maura!"

"What?" the ME replied innocently. "You know I appreciate the possibility to experience and learn new things. And I don't see why sexual activities would be any different." She shrugged her shoulders casually. "I was more surprised that you would consider it though."

"Well I'm not, ok?" Jane quite determined replied. And sensing a headache coming, she instinctively rubbed her hands against her face before she looked back up at her friend, hoping they would be able to get back to the discussion at hand.

"Ok so what I meant was; it might get a bit awkward if we live together and one of us brings a date over while the other one of us is always around- You know?"

"Oh-," Maura said again, slightly starting to see Jane's point. "Well- I can promise to be discreet and stay out of the way if you bring someone home to enthral or have sex with."

Again hearing her friend's very direct ways, Jane jerked, but could this time however not dismiss the smile that reached her lips. "God, put it blunt would ya'?"

Starting to be able to read Jane's sarcasm by now, Maura offered a small smile in return, before she continued on her previous statement - now with a bit less directness. "And in any case we always have the guesthouse, so that would really not be a problem."

To her surprise, Maura noticed how Jane didn't seem to have anything to counter with. From the relaxation in her facial musculature as well as in her body language, Maura would even say that Jane seemed to see the point Maura was making. But not wanting to jump to conclusions she took the opportunity to further reinforce her point.

"All I'm saying is that even if it might be a bit stressful or awkward at times, I think we will be able to find a way to manage. And just because it's not normally done I don't see why we couldn't." She paused slightly, giving Jane the opportunity to interject, but when the brunette remained silent, Maura went on. "It just seems so impractical to live so far away from each other when everything we do is together. Sleeping at my place, having to get to your place to walk Jo and feed Watson, back to my place to have dinner or watch TV-." She shook her head. "It's tiring."

Jane tilted her head wearily, and could to her surprise find herself agreeing. Maybe the idea wasn't completely crazy. They did do everything together and it _was_ tiring to rush back and forth, both having their stuff spread out at each others places. And half of the times they _did_ spent the night at each others, so maybe it in reality wouldn't even have to be much that would have to change. They would just have their things in one of their places instead of two. Sleeping in a bed as its owner instead of as a guest. That wouldn't be so strange would it? And so what if everyone thought they were weird? Screw them in that case. Maura was her best friend; she loved her, and they loved spending time together. So if they decided to live together as well, whose business was that but their own?

"But I understand if you don't want to," Maura then suddenly said, misinterpreting Jane's silence for a rejection. "It was a stupid suggestion," she carried on hurriedly and shook her head in a self demeaning manner, her previous confidence somehow all gone. "Forget I said anything."

And although the sorrow in Maura's voice didn't go by unnoticed, Jane didn't bother to try and reassure her.

"Let's do it," she instead heard herself saying. She knew she hadn't quite thought it through and that her sudden change about the whole thing might be a bit too spontaneous for both of their own good, but somehow she was starting to warm up to the idea. Quite a bit actually. She looked up, and seeing the slight surprised, but hopeful, expression in her friend's face, she noticed herself smiling. "Let's do it," she repeated, now feeling more certain then ever. "Let's move in together."

She couldn't help smiling even wider when seeing Maura's face lit up in that way she rarely ever saw but loved so very much.

"Really?" Maura exclaimed excitedly, and as if wanting to physically show her joy, but not allowing herself to do it fully, she instinctively reached out and briefly brushed the arm of the other woman. "Oh Jane, I think that's wonderful!"

"But you better not scold me about putting my feet up on the living room table or trying to get me to eat some of that crazy healthy stuff or anything!" Jane warned facetiously.

Maura looked at her, a hint of a suppressed smile appearing in her face. "I thought I did that already?"

Jane couldn't help but smile. "Well yeah, but not more than that ok?"

"Only if you will not increase your habit to make fun of my morning gymnastic rituals or nag at me when I watch the history channel," Maura returned with similar playfulness.

Jane smiled. Yep, she was totally starting to warm up to the idea of being roomies. "Deal."

"Now could we please get going?" she then the next moment said with a slight feigned impatience.

Maura smiled, and didn't even mind Jane's edginess. Because all she could think of now was how great it would be living together. How happy she already was. "Of course."

Grabbing Maura's coat from the hanger, Jane handed it to her friend before pulling on her own jacket and headed out towards the car.

Quickly putting on her coat as well and locking the door behind them, Maura hurried after her friend. "So we might as well just start planning then, don't you think?" she said eagerly as she caught up with her, and without really waiting for Jane to reply she carried on. "And I guess the most sensible thing to start with is where we would live. I know I gave the impression that you were to come and live with me, but I really am willing to discuss it further."

They climbed into the car, and before Jane really could say anything once they were seated, Maura was already busy talking again. "And your place is approximately 3.4 miles closer to work which would save both gas and time for the both of us. However, my house is larger and located in what I believe in a much more preferable neighbourhood. And if I were to live with you, there would be the issue of sleeping arrangement. I mean I couldn't carry on sleeping in your bed if we were living together. At my place you at least would get your own bedroom."

She stopped her ramble, getting a slight troubled frown in her face. "But your reluctance to live close to your mother obviously causes some problems…"

"No it's perfect," Jane suddenly intervened and pulled the car out on the road. "I'll move in with you and offer my place to ma. It's a win-win for everyone."

"Oh-," Maura said, not hiding her surprise at how easy Jane seemed to be willing to give up her apartment. "Are you sure?"

"Oh yeah, definitely," Jane nodded and waved her hand in the air. If she was moving in with Maura she was not the one to be a reactionary. And she was certainly not gonna deny that Maura's house was a whole lot of nicer – not to mention larger – than her two room apartment. "My place is in need of a redecoration anyway. It could keep ma busy for awhile." She grinned, before adding, "Hopefully."

And besides-," she then said, "-all of your fancy stuff wouldn't fit at my place anyway."

Maura smiled, actually being quite relieved to find Jane so accommodating. It was true that she would be willing to move in with Jane, but she did find it to be the more logical solution for Jane to come and stay with her in her house, so to hear Jane agreeing certainly made that decision easier. "If you're certain?" she however said, wanting to make sure they agreed.

"Yep," Jane nodded assertively. "Am actually kinda excited to live in an upscale place for once," she said, offering her friend a sideway grin. "But we have to make some room for my things among all those freaking-looking art thingies and books and stuff you have."

Oh-," Maura said slightly hesitantly, just now realizing that she hadn't quite given that fact a thought – and because of it she luckily didn't take much notice to the way Jane referred to her fine art collection. "Well, of course," she however a moment later went on, wanting to be as forthcoming as she possibly could. "What kind of things?"

"Well you know- things," Jane shrugged. "I can leave most of my furniture to ma I guess, and most of my other things is pale in comparison to yours, but I'd wanna bring my Red Sox and Celtic stuff, and you know, my punching bag and things."

Another "oh" slipped from Maura's mouth before she really could help it. She would not only have to do some slight changes to her newly decorated home, she realized – they would have to do immense change to make it go with Jane's things. But despite the slight panic attack she felt coming of imagining the exclusive art she had collected from throughout the world being mixed with Jane's sporting memorabilia, she quickly managed to dismiss it. Living together with Jane would be worth the slight chaos their widely varying styles would cause.

"Well-, she started, trying to sound cooperative. "Obviously I will be willing to do whatever changes we will find necessary, and I will definitely rearrange certain things throughout the house to make space for your belongings." Slightly more tentatively she continued, "And I guess I could take down some of my painting and sculptures. Maybe I could move some of it to the library, or to my bedroom." She went silent, giving herself a moment to think of what else she could do, and as she did she didn't even noticed how the slight distress she previously had felt was replaced by the excitement she at first had felt.

"And I really don't use the office that much," she then continued with that reborn excitement. "Most of my paperwork I do at work, and when I don't I am sure I can manage somewhere else in the house. So maybe instead of having it as an office, we could make place in there for your training equipment. And I could keep our yoga mats and my Pilates ball in there as well."

She smiled, partly by excitement and partly by self-satisfaction at her suggestion. "It would be like our own little private gym."

Hearing how Maura excitedly went on about how they would make room for her stuff, Jane had turned silent; just listening to her friend, stealing glimpses every now and then of her looking so happy. Somehow thinking of how it would be, living together, did feel surprisingly good. And even though she didn't voiced it the way Maura was, she was completely lost fantasizing and planning in her head as well. She knew they were spending crazily much time together – a lot more than best friends normally did – but still she couldn't deny that she looked forward to being able to spend even more time with the woman sitting next to her.

"Yeah-," she then agreed when she heard how Maura had turned silent. "That sounds good Maur. And I know how much you like the way you've arranged everything and all at your place, so I really appreciate you being willing to make room for me and my stuff."

"Oh Jane, of course I would. And once we'll live together it's not just going to be mine or your things, but _our_ things." She smiled, again being lost fantasizing about the future. "It will be our home together," she then heard herself adding distantly, and as she said it she somehow felt as if the decision they've made was the best decision of their lives yet.

Again Jane couldn't help the smile spreading in her face, neither wanted nor could she dismiss the feeling of nothing but pure joy spreading inside of her.

Maybe it would be perceived as strange with the two of them living together and maybe it would get a bit stressful and awkward at times (although somehow she doubted that). And maybe she still had that nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that this somehow meant more than they tried convincing themselves. But since they both wanted it, why not just go ahead and do it? Why be concerned about something that felt so right?

Because they really were just doing the natural thing, weren't they?

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><p><strong>I think I want to continue this story for another chapter or two since it feels unfinished to me, but I'm still dubious whether it's worth it. So what do you think? Is it worth continuing? Or not? Please let me know what you think :)<strong>

**(Or just give your opinions for this one-shot – I'll be just as happy with that ;) )**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you SO much to all of those commenting and inspiring me to keep writing on this story! I will do my very best to keep it entertaining and worthwhile. **

**Just as I expected though, yesterday's episode "My Own Worst Enemy" did mess a bit with what I have planned for this story. Mostly I'll just go ahead anyway, but I'll try to make it as true to the newly presented info we got of Maura as I possible can. **

**Oh, and personally I don't care much for this particular chapter, so if you find yourself agreeing, I hope you'll bear with me. I think the following ones will be better. **

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><p>Feeling unusually happy Maura stepped out from the elevator.<p>

It was just the other day she and Jane had decided to move in together and even though she couldn't quite explain it, she had ever since felt this effervescent happiness inside of her. Not that it was a surprise to her that she would look forward to live with her best friend, but still she hadn't quite expected to feel _this_ good about it. She hadn't expected the lingering thoughts in her mind and the images of how she pictured it would be like, and she hadn't expected to find herself smiling for herself whenever she thought about it – which, basically, was most of the time.

Even though she thought they were practically living together already, it somehow felt different knowing that they in the future would officially be sharing their home. That Jane wouldn't be at her house for a visit – however long – but there as a rightful occupant. As the rightful occupant alongside Maura. And that Jane wouldn't arrive there with them both knowing that she would sooner or later leave to go back to her place, but that she was there to stay. It really did make all the difference, Maura had come to realize. In a way it was like a sign of commitment; a promise that their friendship was for the long run. And those kinds of promises were to Maura rare. Even though they the other day had also briefly implied that their living arrangements wouldn't be forever, that they one day would both find someone to live and start a family with, like most people did, that was somehow not a thought present in Maura's mind. Somehow it felt like that it would last and never really end. That they would stay living together basically forever.

She wasn't sure if Jane felt the same way though – or if she even felt the need to feel the same way – because she knew they looked at social relations in a whole different way. Compared to Jane, Maura had never really had anyone she could trust or depend on before. She'd never really felt the sense of belonging you did of a family, or the companionship of a good friend. The few boyfriends she'd had that had lasted longer than a couple of weeks hadn't offered the warmth and devotion she always thought they would either. Not even with Garrett with whom she once had plans on marry had she ever felt completely at home with. She wasn't even sure if she'd ever felt so with Ian who she at times told herself was the love of her life. Not the way she felt she did with Jane at least. And that was why she valued her friendship with Jane more than anything, as well as their decision to now live together.

But even if Jane might not put as much weigh into their friendship like Maura did, Maura knew her friend valued it, and also looked forward to moving in together. She had been a bit reluctant when Maura first proposed the idea though, and that had inevitably caused Maura some slight distress. But once she'd agreed, Jane did seem just as pleased about their decision that Maura was. They had actually both been so eager about it during these past few days that they on their free time hadn't gotten much done besides planning about their future living arrangement. They had even ended up moving some smaller things from Jane's apartment and rearranged some of Maura's; both just longing for the day when they'd do their last bit of moving.

And even though she wished they could just go on with the packing so that that day could come, there were autopsies to do, rapports to file. But not even the fact that work again was requiring their time seemed to dampen her mood. Of course, the fact that Jane was working just a couple of floors above the morgue did certainly help. And that was why she this morning – like so many previous mornings - steered her steps towards the homicide department despite not really having to.

Seeing Jane and Frost sitting at their desks, a smile immediately reached her lips.

"Good morning Jane," she greeted, the joyous smile still plastered in her face, before momentarily turning to the other detective. "Detective Frost."

"Morning Doc," Frost replied friendly from behind his computer; while Jane swirled around in her chair to face the much welcomed visitor. And when seeing the ME, her best friend and future housemate, a similarly happy smile as the one gracing Maura's spread in Jane's face. She leaned back in her chair. "Hey Maur. What's up?"

"Oh nothing special," Maura replied, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "I just wanted to see if you were still available for lunch today."

"Ehm-," Jane started, glancing over the files that occupied her desk. "Yeah, sure. 12 ok?"

Maura smiled – more than she realized she really should – at hearing Jane's simple statement. "12 sounds fine," she however said, not giving herself time to think about her own slight overreaction. "So sushi?"

A small whimper escaped Jane at the suggestion, but knowing she'd promised Maura they'd go to the newly opened Japanese restaurant a few blocks away, she figured she didn't have much say in the matter. "Fine-," she then however allowed herself to reply sulky. "But I'm not eating those creepy octopus ones you tried to make me last time."

Again Maura smiled. "I won't. I can take your tako and I'll give you my makizushi."

"The salmon rolls," she then explained helpfully when getting a questioning look from Jane.

Despite not having that much against Maura's proposal Jane muttered her reply. "Yeah alright."

"You know, sushi really is a very interesting dish," Maura then of some reason found reason to reply to Jane's apparent reluctance. "Originally it comes from China, first developed in the 7th century, but then the fermented rice was only a way to preserve the fish and it was therefore discarded when the fish was consumed. It wasn't until during the Muromachi period in Japan when the rice was consumed together with the fish. Which is probably why sushi is commonly connected to Japan today."

Letting Maura do a round of Google-talk, Jane just watched her go, unable to dismiss the smile that threatened in the corner of her mouth.

"Thanks," she then said as Maura turned silent, somehow managing to sound both sarcastic and amused. "Thanks for giving us that wonderful information. I've _always_ wondered."

Knowing she was being teased, but loving it all the same, Maura chuckled and gave her friend a small nudge. "Oh Jane."

Jane returned an affectionate smile, and for a moment they were silent, smilingly looking at each other, before Maura figured she really had no further reason to stay there anymore.

"Well I better get going then," she said, a slight sigh escaping her. "But I'll see you at 12." She turned to leave, but just as she was about to she turned back and with a slight playful smile she added "Roomie."

But when not getting the reaction she had hoped for, a hesitant expression spread in her face. "'Roomie'- That is the correct term isn't it?"

Jane couldn't help smiling at her friend's adorableness. "Yeah, that's the right word Maura."

Hearing she'd successfully delivered a popular term, Maura smiled proudly before she then finally turned around and left. And of some reason the previously appeared smile in Jane's face lingered, and so did her gaze at Maura as she walked out from the office. She knew she thought it before, but again she was struck of how ridiculously happy her friend always seemed to make her.

But bringing herself back to reality she then finally turned around - only to find Frost looking at her in a puzzled manner.

"Roomie?" he repeated Maura's previous word with a most questioning look on his face.

"Eh-," Jane started, of some reason suddenly feeling rather self-conscious. "Yeah. We kinda decided to move in together."

"Oh." Frost said, sounding both a bit surprised as well as just amused. "Well that's- that's very nice," he then said with what it appeared to Jane being a poorly suppressed grin.

"Yeah well, you know-," Jane said and cleared her throat, "-we spend so much time together anyway so we figured what the hell."

"Uh hum," Frost nodded, unsuccessfully trying to stop the grin from spreading. "Yeah, that- that sounds good."

"What?" Jane questioned and could of some reason not help a grin also forming in her face. "Best friends live together."

Frost nodded unconvincingly. "Oh, of course they do. It's just that-." He paused, not really knowing how to phrase his thoughts. "Well you and the doc-"

"What?" Jane repeated with continuing difficulty to dismiss the grin in her face. She knew she had been prepared for a reaction from people – some teasing from her friends, maybe some leers from other colleagues – but what she hadn't been prepared for was her own light-hearted response to their reactions.

"Nothing. It's just-," Frost started, before he again lingered, dragging it out, and still with that grin plastered in his face. He cleared his throat, deciding to change tactics. "I'm just surprised it took you this long, that's all."

Jane opened her mouth to reply, but before she really got a chance to, Korsak arrived and interrupted. "What are you talking about?" he wondered curiously when noticing his colleagues' non-work-related discussion.

For once appreciating his senior partner's arrival as he'd get a buddy to tease Jane with, Frost smiled and gave a meaning nod towards Jane. "Jane and Dr Isles are hooking up."

"Hey! C'mon!" Jane now protested, although sounding most good-humoured. "We're just moving in together."

Again Frost failed to suppress a grin. "Uh huh, whatever you say."

Appearing slightly surprised, but mostly just approving the news, Korsak gave Jane a pat on her shoulder. "Hey, that's great news Rizzoli. I'm happy for you."

Busy glaring at Frost, Jane turned to her other partner and although not really knowing what to make of his words, she opened her mouth to reply. But before she got the chance to, Korsak surprised her by going on. "And Dr Isles!" he whistled impressed and gave a shake of his head. "Phew! She's quite the catch."

Hearing the sergeant being quite on the same page as himself, Frost's previous grin did nothing to subside. "Uh hum," he nodded quite confidently. "A doctor, wealthy, good looking..." He smirked at his partner. "I'm sure Mrs Rizzoli is very proud."

Even though she felt as if she should be upset, or surprised, or something, Jane felt nothing of the kind. But thinking this had gone on long enough, as well as feeling slightly distressed by her own blithe reaction, she stared at her two partners in what she hoped looked like a displeased manner. "Really? That's what you got?"

"You better look out though-," Korsak continued, completely ignoring Jane's statement, and shook his head, "-you know what happens with all the married cops."

"Yeah-," Frost quickly continued before Jane got the chance to reply. "You don't wanna end up like Mr-three-divorces over here."

"That's very funny, guys," Jane deadpanned, finally getting back her usual stance. "Really, I'm laughing my ass off here. But could we now please go back to work?"

Not waiting for their replies, she turned back to her desk.

And going back to the files in front of her, she didn't notice the knowing glances that passed between her partners, how they shook their heads in wonder.

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><p>It was supposed to be a fairly easy-going day, but the double murder called in in the morning, had thrown the day completely off that course and instead it had been many hours later than usual until Jane and Maura finally could go home. They had planned on stopping by at Jane's place to do some more packing, but it already being too late they had decided against it, and without really discussing it they had just went to pick up Jo before going over to Maura's.<p>

"God, I'm so tired-," Jane sighed, and basically rolled herself out from the passenger seat of Maura's car.

"Yes, today's event were quite stressful," Maura replied and although sharing Jane's tiredness – she had after all been standing over the autopsy table for hours and hours – she stepped out of the car with her usual unruffled posture. "A relaxing bubble bath I think would be the perfect way to unwind."

That not being quite what Jane had in mind for her evening, she looked at her friend. "Or kicking back in the sofa with a beer."

"You know, I think you would find a bath surprisingly pleasant," Maura replied, not at all sharing Jane's idea of relaxation. "It is not only relaxing and ease tension of worn muscles, but some studies have also shown that the magnesium sulphate in commercial bath salts absorbs in the skin and reduces inflammation and relieves pain as well as raises serotonin levels. It really is good for you." She turned silent and smiled pleasantly at her friend. "I'd even let you go first if you'd like."

"Ehm, no," Jane replied quite definitely as they reached the front door. "I think that beer will be just fine."

Even if assuming was something Maura never engaged in, she did found it most likely based on similar situations that she would get a reply like that, and so she offered just a vaguely disappointing smile in return.

"Oh wait-," Jane then said tiredly and stopped as they were just about to walk inside; her plans of a relaxing evening suddenly gone. "I better get over to ma and let her know about our moving plans."

"Do you want me to join you?" Maura asked, instinctively reaching out to touch Jane's wrist.

"Nah that's alright," Jane shook her head tiredly before offering a smile. "You just go take that bath."

Maura smiled. "I will. Thank you."

Jane turned to leave, giving Maura's shoulder a brief pat in passing, and some moment later she was by the guesthouse. She gave the door a quick knock before opening the door. "Ma?"

"I'm in here!" came the voice of her mother from the bedroom, and tiredly Jane walked over there. When however seeing her mother all engaged in painting the bedroom wall she was wide awake.

"Oh my god! Ma!" she cried in shock and rushed over. "What are you doing!"

"I'm painting the bedroom," replied Angela, not showing the slightest sign she'd noticed her daughter's shocked reaction.

But unable not to think of anything else but how her mother was busy destroying the bedroom of her friend's fashionable guesthouse, Jane angrily stomped over and pulled the brush out of her hand. "Damn it ma, you can't just start painting wherever you want! This is Maura's house!"

"I know that," Angela calmly. "I wanted to do something nice for her, she being so nice to offer me her guesthouse and everything, so I offered to paint the bedroom."

"And did you wait until you got an actual answer, or did you just go head anyway?" Jane accused angrily.

"Of course I asked her on beforehand," Angela replied just as calmly as before. "She was very happy for my help."

Hearing that her mother at least hadn't gone completely crazy, Jane released the grip she had on her wrist. "That's probably just because she didn't want to hurt your feelings," she explained impatiently. "God ma, she's way too nice to you. You can't bully her around like you do with me; she's too polite to say no."

For the first time since Jane had stormed in, Angela looked at her daughter with displeasure in her eyes. "That's an awful thing to say Jane! I don't bully her around! I think Maura is a wonderful person that I respect very much and I would never do anything to her guesthouse without her permission." She straightened her back confidently. "And for your information we get along very well."

"Fine," Jane then surrendered. "But don't do anything more of this-," she said and waved her hands over the half-painted wall, -"before I've talked to her, alright?"

Angela grumbled something in reply, but agreed.

"And what's with the obsession with painting anyway?" Jane then questioned, remembering all too well when she found her mother busy painting her own apartment in various displeasing colours.

"It's not an obsession," Angela defended. "I've always liked redecorating, you know that."

Jane stared at her mother, not at all knowing that and also pretty sure her mother had never had such an interest.

But choosing not to see her daughter's disbelief Angela stood back and admired her work for a moment. "Maybe I should become an interior decorator," she then said and turned back to her daughter. "You think?"

"Ehm- yeah," Jane said dumbfounded by her mother's unexpected question. "Sure. Whatever."

But changing the subject, Angela looked at her daughter questioningly. "So was it something you wanted?"

"Oh yeah. It was," Jane said somewhat absent-mindedly, realizing that she in the tumult almost had forgotten the reason why she was there. "I'm moving out from my apartment and was wondering if you'd be interested in living there."

"Jane, you're moving? Why?"

"I'm moving in with Maura," Jane said and gave a nod towards the main house.

For a moment Angela was silent, just looking at her daughter as if needing to process the news. But as the news finally settled she didn't hesitate to throw her arms excitedly around her daughter. "Oh Jane!" she exclaimed happily. "Oh I'm so happy for you! And Maura is such a lovely girl!" She pulled away from her now rather surprised-looking daughter, but not giving her the chance to reply, a ramble soon followed. "But why didn't you tell me? Were you worried I wouldn't approve? I don't see why you would think that Jane. I'm your mother. And haven't I always shown an open mind about these kinds of things?"

Too tired to see what her mother was getting at, Jane just tiredly brushed her forehead with her hand. "What are you talking about?"

"About you and Maura of course," Angela replied slightly confused. "I can't understand why you wouldn't just tell me you're together Jane."

Surprised to say the least, Jane stared wide-eyed at her mother. That the guys at work would have ideas about her and Maura, she could, at least somewhat, understand, but her mother? That was just- shocking.

"Ma, it's not like that," Jane then finally interrupted, still feeling rather stunned that her mother seemed to be of the same opinion as the guys at work. "We're just moving in as friends, alright?"

"Oh-," Angela said, not hiding her surprise. "Well, I- I guess that's nice as well…," she then shrugged as she realized she'd misinterpreted the situation. She looked down at her paint-stained hands, and did to her daughter appear surprisingly disappointed. "But are you sure?" she then wondered with a slight hopeful tone of voice and looked up at her daughter again. "You're so cute together, and I can tell Maura loves you very much."

"Ma, c'mon!" Jane exclaimed, feeling both stunned and bewildered. It was one thing her mother could have gotten the wrong idea, but it was quite another thing that she'd actually _wanted_ it. And truth to be told, Jane was also starting to get quite tired that everyone made the assumption she and Maura were a couple. What was so goddamn hard to understand that they were just friends anyway?

"We don't look at each other that way, alright? We're just-," she started, wanting to explain hers and Maura's odd relationship to not only her mother but to herself as well. "We're just very close, that's all. I don't know how to explain it, but we're- just close, ok?"

Angela nodded half-heartedly and mumbled something in reply, but still couldn't – or didn't want to – hide her disappointment.

But too confused about the whole thing herself, Jane didn't feel she had the energy to deal with her mother's feeling about it as well. "So you wanna move into my place or what?" she instead said with a heavy sigh, bringing them back to the discussion she was there to have.

"Of course," Angela nodded, sounding unusual cooperative. But then she got that expression that Jane knew meant she was soon going to feel both frustrated as hell, and guilty for whatever her mother would manage to make her feel bad about.

"But I have really started appreciating living here, and Maura is such a nice girl inviting me over and doing so many things for me…" Her voice died out, sounding nothing but miserable of the prospect of leaving the guesthouse. But when seeing how her daughter opened her mouth to retort, she quickly put up her hand to stop her – and making her whole temporary depressing appearance immediately wash off while doing so. "But I understand you two would want some privacy, so of course I will leave you alone."

Seeing the irritable look her daughter was giving her, Angela stared at her dumbfounded. "I didn't mean it like that!" she then the next moment exclaimed, although to herself she couldn't help but hoping that she did mean it like_ that_. "I'm not completely dense to know that you wouldn't want your mother living next door."

Glad to finally hear something uplifting, Jane smiled. "Thanks."

"So when are you moving?" her mother the next moment wanted to know.

"We've already started some, but we haven't set a date or anything," Jane replied mechanically, but couldn't quite shake off that distressing feeling that had come over her from hearing her mother's thought; the thoughts of her colleagues. With similar distraction as previously she went on. "I mean we'll just move everything over whenever we get the chance."

Unaware of her daughter's distress, Angela just nodded and started cleaning up her painting things. "Alright."

And as her mother went back to her tasks Jane stood silent, absent-mindedly watching her.

She could try and deny it if she wanted to, but she knew it wasn't really the first time she'd heard how people thought she and Maura were in a relationship. They had gotten that reaction from people sometimes; whether it was a waiter in a restaurant or bar, a hotel receptionist like that time a couple of months ago when they'd taken a weekend off on Cape Cod, or whatever. She had even heard something about a rumour on the precinct. But she had never thought anything to it. That strangers they met thought so had all just been simple mistakes, she had figured, and the rumour at work was probably just one of those stupid things where some of the guys imagined how the only two women in the department were getting it on. Or that it was simply a stupid rumour created by the guys who hadn't anything better to do with their time. It wasn't anything serious.

To now first hear it from her two partners – who should know her better than that – and then later hear the same thing from her own mother – who should definitely know her better than that – was sure surprising. Shocking almost.

Because her and Maura were just friend. Maybe they were exceptionally close, spent abnormally much time together and would soon be living together, but they were still just friends.

So that people like her mother and partners seemed to read more into her and Maura's relationship than they should, now made her automatically revaluate those previous insinuations she'd heard.

Maybe they weren't as harmless and unserious as she had thought.

Maybe they weren't just simple mistakes that could happen to anyone or some groundless rumours from some stupid guys at work. Now she even found herself wondering if maybe she could even in a way understand them. That if she were in their shoes and witnessed her and Maura's extreme close friendship, would she maybe even believe the rumours herself?

For a moment she even wondered if there could be some truth to it. That maybe the rumours might be right; that she and Maura actually wanted more out of their relationship and should be together.

But she knew she'd never thought about Maura like that. She still didn't. And strangely enough it was not because she was a woman, but because she was her friend. That Maura was her best friend – the best friend she'd ever had, really – didn't change that. In a way it even made it more impossible. And that was how she liked it. A best friend she could trust and always depend on; and not a boy- or girlfriend with all the troubles and misery that came with them. Because just like her friends had said earlier, cops and relationships didn't go anyway.

Bringing herself back to reality she shook her head to snap out of it. It was with little success though; but still she turned to leave. "I'm gonna go, but I'll see you later."

But just as she was about to leave, her mother's voice urged her to stop.

"But, Jane, just so you know-," she said, "-that if you and Maura ever get more then 'close', I'm fine with it."

Jane didn't reply, but instead just turned around and left, now feeling unexpectedly distraught.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm glad to see that people still find the story entertaining - I was actually a bit afraid you'd loose interest.**** But seeing you're all with me, here's another chapter for you. **

**I hope you'll enjoy :) **

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><p>If there was one method of relaxation that Maura preferred above others it would probably be the one of a simple hot bath. It was uncomplicated, all the while offering a wide variety of advantages in a way not many other methods did. First there was the simple, but highly effective, component of the hot water, stimulating blood circulation and so relaxing her tired and sore muscles. Secondly, it was the magnesium sulphate in the bath salt that did not only work as an additional muscle relaxant, but also drew toxins from her body, exfoliated her skin and raised her serotonin levels. And then there were also the therapeutically effects from both the lavender aroma in the bath salt, as well as from the balanced luminous intensity from the few, but well placed, candle lights in the dark room.<p>

But then there was also that one thing she might appreciate the most.

The silence.

Maura loved the sound – or rather the nearly inexistent sound - of silence, and almost found it therapeutically in itself. She appreciated how it made everything seem clearer, every outside sound to intensify, and her every sense sharper. How it much like the art of science itself made things distinct, absolute and palpable.

And she knew that silence had always been something she had been comfortable with; something she had been used to. Or at least grown used to and learnt to love. Because it had throughout her life in a way been her companion. Whenever the social world had become too much or too demanding, she had always been able to retreat back to the silence of her own loneliness, where she could think and be herself. Where things weren't complex and confusing but easy and understandable.

She took a deep breathe and closed her eyes, treasuring the stillness around her yet again.

But then suddenly she heard the front door opening, followed by the unmistakable sound of her friend's footsteps. Despite bringing her out from her much loved silence she smiled for herself, realizing she loved the newly appeared sound even more. And for a moment she just listened to the sound of Jane walking around in the home, enjoying that soon that was how it would be like. Silence replaced by life. Emptiness replaced by belonging.

She smiled. She really couldn't quite wait.

And almost as if wanting to take part of the life outside the door, she broke through her thoughts and came back to reality.

"Jane?" she called though the door she'd left slightly ajar. "How did it go?"

She listened as Jane's steps came closer to then finally stop outside the bathroom door.

"Maura?" Jane asked from the other side of the door. "Did you say something?"

"Yes. I was wondering how it went with your mother."

"Ehm- good," a slight uncomfortable Jane replied. "I'll tell you once you're done."

"That's alright. You can come in. I'm just taking a bath."

Again came the signs of discomfort as Jane cleared her throat self-consciously. "No that's ok Maur. I'll- I'll just wait until you're done."

"Jane, don't be silly, you can come in."

"Maura-," Jane now hissed embarrassed between clenched teeth, "-you're in the tub!"

"I am," Maura replied truthful, although slightly confused. But as no answer came from Jane, she spoke again. "Jane, are you concerned over the fact that I'm naked in the bathtub?"

Jane rolled her eyes. "No, I'm afraid I'm gonna slip on the bathroom floor and hit my head and bleed to death. God Maura."

Unable to miss the sarcasm in her friend's voice, Maura figured that this was probably one of those times not to take Jane so literally, and so she forced herself to ignore Jane's last statement. Trying to instead interpreting it as well as she knew how, based on the previous discussion and Jane's apparent shyness for some things, she a moment later spoke again. "I don't see why you would be concerned by that Jane. We've seen each other without the restrictions of clothes before."

"And besides-," she then added and looked down at the slight excessive amount of bubbles in the water, "-I'm all covered in bubbles."

But still Jane didn't move and only offered a mumble in reply, and was startled to say the least when Maura lost her patience.

"Jane, would you just get in here?" the ME demanded uncharacteristically impatient. "This is ridiculous!"

Although feeling even less eager to get in there after her friend's outburst, Jane however very tentatively pushed the door open to finally give in, and very hesitantly she stepped inside.

Just as Maura had said, Jane found her friend covered in bubbles from top to toe, and seeing her lying there all peaceful in the darkness, she couldn't help but be amazed how beautiful she looked. Lying in a sea of bubbles. Her face, slightly flushed by the heat, her otherwise impeccable hair now loosely pulled up in a pony tail, and her naked shoulders and arms resting delicately on the side of the bathtub, illuminated only by the flickering candle lights. It really was quite a sight.

"That looks nice," Jane said, uncharacteristically soft-spoken.

Maura took a deep breath and closed her eyes, indeed appreciating her bath very much. "It is."

But then she abruptly opened her eyes again. "Now could you please hand me my lemon water?" she smiled pleasantly, lazily pointing towards the glass of water standing a bit away on a small exotic wooden table. "I forgot it over there and now I'm thirsty."

Jane opened her mouth in surprise, before a soft chuckled escaped her lips as she just realized her friend's eagerness to get here into the bathroom. "So that's why you wanted to get me in here huh?"

Maura smiled her reply, unable to deny that that was indeed partly her reason.

Her previous discomfort now gone, Jane walked over to the small table and handed Maura her water before she sank down on the toilet seat.

"So what did she say?" Maura then asked and took a sip of her water, curious of how Angela had taken their news of moving in together and her possibility to move to Jane's apartment.

"She was actually fine with it," Jane shrugged. "She said she loved staying here but would leave. Said she understood I wouldn't want her next door." She raised her eyes in disbelief. "Would you believe that? My mother saying she wouldn't want to be in the way? Yeah right. She probably has something up her sleeve; gonna find a reason to stay or something."

Maura laughed. "You don't know that Jane. I'm sure she is just being nice."

"Yeah right," Jane snorted again, not believing that for one minute. "And do you know she's repainting your whole freaking bedroom over there?" she then suddenly exclaimed, just remembering her mother's abuse on the bedroom wall.

"I am aware, yes. She was very kind to offer to paint it."

"Maura, c'mon. You don't have to do that with me. I know you didn't want that bedroom repainted and you shouldn't have let her."

"No I really didn't mind," Maura said and shook her head slightly. "I didn't get the chance to redecorate the guesthouse when I did the main house so I was actually very thankful for her offer."

Jane looked at her friend sceptically but didn't get the chance to reply as her friend went on.

"And you know-," she said and put her glass down on the bathroom floor. "I think I'm actually going to miss having her here. It's been nice having her around and it feels like I've really gotten to know her."

Again Jane was left just staring at her friend. "_Please_ don't tell her that! Or I swear to god Maura, she'll never leave us alone!"

Maura frowned slightly uncertain. "Alright- I won't."

"Trust me, it's for you own good," Jane replied firmly to convince her still seemingly sceptical friend. "'Cuz you _will_ get tired of her sooner or later."

"Maybe," Maura replied and shrugged slightly, although not feeling too certain about that. But then she leaned her head back on the edge of the bathtub and closed her eyes, letting silence fill the room.

And being left with her own thoughts Jane soon found how they drifted to the things her mother had said earlier; those things the guys at worked had insinuated. That Maura and her were a couple. A couple moving in together.

"Are we crazy?" she then, many moments later, asked.

"What?" Maura jerked and looked at her friend, sounding offended. "As in another word for insanity? No, that would require some psychological disturbances which I would hardly say I have detected in any of us."

Jane smiled. "No, that's not what I meant."

"Oh," Maura frowned, slightly embarrassed for her misunderstanding. "Well, 'crazy' is a much misused term, but originally it is a medical term used for diagnosis of people suffering from a very definite type of mental disorder."

"No I mean this," Jane cut her off, feeling slightly impatient, and waved her hands between them, "you an me. Moving in together. It's crazy isn't it?"

"No," Maura shook her head, feeling nothing but certain of their decision. But still she couldn't help feeling puzzled, and even a bit worried, by Jane's apparent doubt. Although that, she kept for herself. "No, I don't think it is. It's just- practical."

Jane nodded, but didn't feel convinced. She didn't know why, and she certainly didn't like it, but somehow everyone's idea that her and Maura were a couple really started to get to her. "Yeah," she sighed, automatically rubbing the scars of her hands in distress.

Maura swallowed, and felt her worries intensify. She knew Jane had been reluctant about the idea of them moving in together at first. She knew there had been something that had bugged her about it. But as nothing had indicated that she was doubtful after she'd agreed, Maura had come to the conclusion that Jane was indeed happy about it. Just as blissfully happy that Maura was. To see the doubts appearing now again made her feel an almost afflicting pain in the pit of her stomach and much to her distress she noticed how it made her loose her otherwise firm control of herself. Without able to stop it she soon found herself wound up in a fistful of irrational assumption. That Jane indeed was bothered by something, something about living together with Maura. And that whatever it was now had made her reconsider. Soon she would tell her she'd change her mind. That it was a stupid idea after all.

Automatically she sank down further in the tub, and couldn't help but feel worse than ever. Lonely. Rejected. And just horrible. As if the one thing she valued most in her life had suddenly been taken from her; as if all of her beliefs that she could have a normal life, that she could be loved and love in return, were suddenly all washed away and she was back to being that lonely and weird girl she'd been as young, that distant and odd woman she'd been before she met Jane.

"You don't want to move in together anymore do you?" she then finally forced herself to ask, doing her very best to hold back the tears prickling her eyes.

Surprised by Maura's question and her slight unsteady voice, Jane looked up. "Hey- Maura c'mon, that's not what I meant," she tried hopelessly when seeing her friend looking all small, almost pitiful, lying amongst the bubbles. "I do want to move in with you." She felt the urge of reaching out to take Maura's hand that was resting on the side of the tub, but automatically her mind decided against it, and instead she just kept talking. "I really really do. I've never felt so certain about anything."

Maura smiled tentatively and looked up at Jane, and didn't even feel embarrassed by the deplorable tone in her voice when she spoke again. "Really?"

"Really," Jane nodded. "I really can't wait."

Maura smiled and could, if it was a physical condition and not just a saying, basically feel how her heart took a joyful leap. She let out a small chuckle at her own ridiculous sensitivity and brushed away the tears that had just spilled over.

"Oh sweetie-," Jane consoled, almost feeling her heart break at the sight of her friend crying, and this time she didn't hesitated when she bent down by the side of the tub and put a comforting hand on her arm. "I'm sorry for making you believe I didn't."

No, it's alright," Maura shook her head, now feeling mostly embarrassed for overreacting. "I don't know what's wrong with me-," she then tried hopelessly, not at all understanding her own strong feelings about the whole thing. "I just really am looking forward to you moving in that I guess I- that I-"

"I know," Jane interrupted and offered a considerate smile. She knew they were both feeling a bit emotional – a bit oddly so, but still they clearly were – about their decision. There was no need to talk about it.

She reached out to brush away a string of hair from her friend's face; Maura offering a grateful smile in return. But as they both remained silent, Jane sat back on the toilet seat, letting the silence overcome them yet again. This time, however, Jane knew it was due to the previous concern she'd portrayed; the explanation Maura deserved and probably waited for, but Jane felt reluctant to give. But although feeling slightly nervous for reason she didn't know, she forced herself to just come out with it.

"You know-," she said, her voice slightly more hoarse than usually, "-everyone thinks we're in a relationship."

Maura looked at her friend, and couldn't deny that she was slightly surprised. Not by what she'd said, but that she'd said it now, as a probable reason for her obvious concern. "I know," she replied.

"You do?"

Maura shrugged slightly in reply, not feeling the need for anything more.

"Ma thought so too," Jane then said, deciding not to think about the fact that her friend wasn't as oblivious as she apparently had expected.

"Really?"

"Yeah-," Jane mumbled and looked down on her hands, before a moment later looking back up, suddenly feeling even more nervous than previously. She swallowed. "But we're not- I mean-"

"No," Maura shook her head, suddenly feeling a similar weariness that Jane was expressing. "No we're not."

Jane looked down yet again, instinctively brushed the scars on the inside of her palms with her thumbs, before she with hesitance looked back up at her friend. "Then- what are we?"

Maura bit her lip. She didn't know how close best friends were supposed to be like, how close she and Jane should be. She was just appreciating Jane's company and closeness in a way she'd never appreciated anyone else's before, and didn't really stop to think about it.

"We're-," Maura then started, not at all knowing what to say that could reassure her friend, "-we're just very close best friend."

"Right?" Jane exclaimed relieved, as if she'd just been waiting to hear someone else say it as well. "Why can't everyone else just get that?" she then shrugged wildly as if she'd just gained a boost of energy and needed to work it off. "Why does everyone have to think that just because we're close we have to be screwing each other?"

Maura's eye grew wide in shock. "Jane!"

"What?" Jane laughed, sensing her previous distress leaving. "You're the one always talking about being direct and everything."

"But _screwing_?" Maura whispered embarrassed, a small blush forming in her face. "That's just crude."

"Yeah, well-," Jane said and waved her hand in the air, "-you know what I mean."

Maura took a deep breath as if regaining her stance. "I do."

"I mean, why would they think that?" Jane then asked to no one in particular. "Is that really the signals we're sending out? That we're a couple?"

"It appears so, yes."

"But I don't get it. I mean, why?" Jane repeated confused, not at all seeing what everyone else was seeing. Sure, they were very close and enjoyed each other's company a lot, but didn't all best friends?

"Well- It's like we said. It's because we're close," Maura offered. "That we spend a lot of time together and joke with each other so freely." She went silent for just a moment before continuing, her arguments suddenly piling up in her mind. "And that people at the station think so might be because of the fact that we often leave and come in to work together or that you are often down in the morgue when you don't have to, and that I often join you on cases when I'm really not needed. And that they often see us eating lunch, dinner, and sometimes even breakfast together – and then often share our food between each other." She paused again, tilting her head meditatively. "And the fact that we don't really feel restricted to show physical affection towards each other could also be a most likely contributing factor. Along with the fact that we always go together to all events and parties arranged for employees. That they know we take vacations together." She shook her head, feeling slightly surprised by how much stronger her own arguments were than she'd thought. "It really isn't that strange they would think so."

Listening to how her friend pointed out all the things they did together and how they acted with each other, there was indeed a picture coming to Jane's mind of what they must be perceived as. And even if it wasn't what she would have imagined, it really was not that of a pair of best friends either. She let out a hearty chuckle. "We're like an old married couple, aren't we?"

Maura tilted her head, surprised to hear such a description about the two of them. But to her surprise she didn't find the idea especially frightening, but instead rather liking it. "Really?"

Jane jerked, surprised by her friend's approving tone of voice, but seeing the innocent expression in her face she couldn't help but laugh. "Oh come on!"

With a lingering amused grin in her face, she shook her head, but as she did she suddenly realized where she was sitting and she was washed over by a new set of revelation. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed, partly surprised and partly amused. "I'm even sitting on the toilet seat talking to you while you're having a freaking bath!" As if unable to lift her gaze she stared down at the toilet below her, and being the slightly modest person she was regarding these kind of things, she wasn't sure whether to be shocked or amused about the situation. But as another round of laughter bubbled out of her, she realized it was the latter. She looked up, shaking her head in amazement. "Why don't I just go ahead and pee while I'm at it?"

"Oh I wouldn't mind," Maura deadpanned.

And again Jane laughed, bringing a slight smile to Maura's face.

"Or you could join me in the bath if you'd like?" Maura then purred flirtatiously and batted her eyelashes.

Again Jane failed to hide her amusement, and not even taking the time to register how surprisingly calm she took all of this, she decided to take up on Maura's playfulness. "Wouldn't I disturb your cleansing relaxation?" she then said with similar feigned sultry voice.

But as she said it Maura's previous amused face grew serious in an instant. "Yes, you would," she said gravely.

Her seriousness only lasted a second, however, before they both chuckled.

And as they did Jane realized she couldn't care less what other people thought of them. They were comfortable with their relationship, however odd, and if that created rumours - that would surely intensify once the lived together - so be it.

After another moment past Jane got up from the toilet seat. "Well- you go on ravishing in your hot water and bubbles and things," she said, gesticulating over the bath. And slowly, as if not really wanting to leave, she made her way to the door. "And _I_ am going to go relax with a beer."

Although feeling slightly lonely the moment her friend left, there was a smile in Maura's face. And even when she, moments later, closed her eyes and again rested her head back on the bath tub edge, the smile lingered.

She wasn't sure if Jane was correct or not in her assessment that they looked like a married couple, but either way, Maura was happy with it. People could have whatever picture they wanted of them. She didn't care. All she knew was that she had never really been happier and some misjudged interpretations could not change that.

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><p><strong>I figured for a moment that this could in a way be seen as an ending, but do not worry, it is not! Awakening from cluelessness is still coming :)<strong>

**Oh, and I'm still loving all those wonderful reviews, so keep those coming as well :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Have I told you what an amazing crowd you are? 'Cuz man, you're all awesome! Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews and comments! You have no idea how ****grateful I am and how ridiculously happy I get reading them :)**

**And so for this chapter… I hadn't planned for this scene, but somehow I felt unmotivated to write on the next chapter, so I ended up writing this slight continuation on the previous chapter instead. It's a bit shorter but at least it's a little something until next update.**

**And oh, I've realized I'm just totally having fun with these two now - maybe I'm trying to see how far I can go or something – so I hope you'll stop me if you think I'm pushing it a bit too far. Or if you think I'm just dragging it out. 'Cuz I'm well aware I might be doing both…**

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><p>Feeling exceptionally refreshed after her bath Maura stepped out from the bathroom - now clad in a black silk pyjama and her hair pulled up in a pony tail – and walked over to the living room. She smiled when she noticed her half-asleep friend lying in the sofa, seemingly trying to keep her eyes open only to be able to watch whatever was on TV.<p>

"You don't think the bed would be a better place for that?" she said as she reached the sofa.

Hearing her friend was done from her bath, Jane tiredly looked up at her, and without really noticing it herself she smiled. But then she gave a pointed look towards the TV and pulled herself slightly out from her sleepy state, before settling her head back in the crock of her arm that was resting on the armrest. "Have to see how this ends."

Maura glanced over at the TV, and was surprised to say the least to see what channel her friend had tuned in. She looked back at her friend with an undeniable pleased smile. "The Animal Planet Jane? I'm impressed."

"Yeah well-," Jane started slightly embarrassed, not realizing until now she had been caught watching something she really shouldn't like watching. She cleared her throat. "These cheetahs are pretty cool."

Mostly just happy to see Jane appreciating an interest of hers, Maura walked over to join her. And although the free armchair would probably be the more logical choice of seating, she walked over to the sofa of which Jane's outstretched legs took up most of the space.

"May I?" she asked, sounding unnecessary polite, and pointed towards the seat next to her friend.

Jane looked up at her friend again, founding her cautiousness a bit surprising. "Oh- you mean now when we're married and all we should keep our distance?" she then joked when realizing what could be the reason.

Maura shrugged, silently declaring that that was indeed the reason to her sudden reserved manners.

Not even taking the time to think about it Jane lifted her legs as if to invite Maura to sit down. "Ah-, she frowned. "Who cares what other people think anyway?"

Happy to hear they were of the same opinion Maura smiled and sat down; tucking her own legs underneath her and willingly taking Jane's in her lap. And comfortable by being nestled up together, they turned their attention back to the television.

But then Maura, who for once didn't actually focus on the documentary before her but was instead occupied with other thoughts, broke the silence. "You know-," she said, her voice clearly portraying her pondering, "-some studies have shown that spouses tend to grow more similar to each other and take after each other's manners and interests. Some researchers claim it solely lies in the selection of a partner, but others really do mean that the phenomenon is a product of convergence."

Feeling nothing but confused Jane turned to look at her friend; certain it was not only her tiredness that made her unable to see the reason for Maura's random statement.

"Regarding the fact that you have obviously developed an interest in watching a zoological programme," Maura explained helpfully when seeing the clueless expression on her friend's face.

But hearing that only caused a chuckle from Jane. "God, you're not gonna let this marriage-thing go are you?"

Choosing not to hear her friend's slight unappreciative response Maura went on. "It really is interesting to see. I know I have startled myself many times when I've realized the many ways in which I've changed after I met you. For example that I can actually appreciate watching baseball now, or that I feel more comfortable in various social situations." She looked at her friend with an undeniable pleased expression. "And now here you are watching a documentary. It really is like the studies have shown."

Again Jane stared at her friend, although unable to suppress her amused grin. "You know we're not _actually_ married do you?"

Maura gave her a pointy look and was for the shortest moment silent, before replying.

"Of course," she said and shrugged, letting her eyes dart of to the television again. "But even though we are only perceived as a married couple, there are apparently developments in our behaviour pattern that coincide with those of a real married couple." She turned back to her friend, now with a grin portraying nothing but pure fascination. "Isn't that fascinating?"

Jane had to compress her lips to not say or do something she might regret, but to her surprise it wasn't a sharp comment she held back but an amused smile. But before she could even think to reflect about it a knock was heard on the front door, bringing them both out from the discussion. Slightly confused by the unexpected visitor, they looked at the door before Maura entangled herself from under Jane's legs and walked over there.

Seeing the younger Rizzoli member on the other side of the door she smiled politely.

"Frankie- hi," she said friendly.

"Hey Maura," Frankie returned with similar friendliness. "Just wanted to drop this off to Jane," he said, lifting up the baseball bat he had his hand. "Ma said she was here."

"She is," Maura nodded, and stepped aside to let the visitor inside. "Please, come in."

"I was just thinking about making some tea," she then added as they walked inside. "You're welcome to stay and join us if you'd like."

"Uhm- yeah, sure," Frankie shrugged. "Thanks."

And as Maura walked to the kitchen, Frankie headed over to his sister who was still lying in the sofa. "Hey sis," he greeted her and handed her the borrowed bat. "Found this in my car and figured you'd want it back."

Slightly surprised to see the old bat her brother had in his hands, Jane frowned. "Ehm- yeah sure. Thanks," she then said and took the bat to lean it towards sofa. "Never thought I'd seen this again. You borrowed this, what- a year ago?"

Being pretty sure none of them could care less about the missing bat, Frankie just shrugged his reply and plumped down in the free armchair; deciding to wait a moment to go into the real reasons for his visit.

Just as Frankie had figured, Jane wasn't too interested in getting back the bat, and so found his rather indifferent reply good enough. So instead she just turned her attention back to the TV, and automatically Frankie's eyes followed. When he noticed what his sister was watching though, an expression similar to the one that had earlier graced Maura's face, appeared in his own. "The Animal Planet Jane?" he asked dubiously and turned to look at her.

"What?" Jane laughed, her mind automatically going back to her previous discussion with Maura. "I'm not a complete ignorant person. I like to learn stuff."

"Yeah right," Frankie laughed.

"Hey!" Jane exclaimed with feign anger and gave her brother a light tap on his leg. "These cheetahs are really cool," she then defended her choice of television and nodded towards the TV. "They can run up to 75 miles per hour. I mean- that's _fast_!" she shook her head, impressed by the speed of the animal, and took a swig at her beer. "And it's pretty interesting; the males group together for life but the females often hunt alone, and-"

But suddenly hearing herself sounding very much like a google-talking ME she knew, she abruptly stopped. Instead she was washed over by a shocking revelation, which, however, was soon transformed into nothing but amusement. And automatically laughter bubbled out of her.

Oh my god, she thought stunned for herself, they really were like an old married couple! She shook her head in amusement.

"What?" Frankie asked, rather confused by his sister's behaviour, and brought her back to reality.

"Nothing," she said and waved her hand in the air, trying to control her wide grin. "It's nothing."

And figuring it would be best to leave the discussion with that, she turned her slight unfocused attention back to the TV; not really caring about the fact that Maura's interest might rub off on her even more.

Frankie lingered his gaze at his sister for a moment, puzzled at what had just happened, but not thinking of it too much he then followed his sister's lead and turned to the TV.

And for a short moment the unlikely pair watched the documentary as the narrator talked about the hunting rituals of cheetahs. But realizing rather quickly he couldn't care less about it, Frankie turned back to Jane – fairly certain his sister couldn't be as interested in the programme as she claimed to be. And now was as good time as any, anyway, to bring up his real reasons for the visit.

"So-," he started, wondering for a second on how to approach the subject. "Ma told me you're moving in here."

"Ehm- yeah," Jane, now back to normal, replied casually.

Almost as if expecting his sister go on to go on, Frankie sat silent for a moment, just watching her. But when she didn't show any sign to say anything but just kept her eyes on the TV, he lost his patience.

"Ok Jane- Spill," he said. "I know you told ma that there's nothing going on, but you can tell me. What's the deal with you and Maura?"

Jane laughed, realizing her brother obviously was of the same opinion as seemingly everyone else. "Nothing," she then replied, briefly looking over at her brother.

"Oh c'mon, Jane," Frankie said impatiently, not believing his sister for a minute. "It's clearly something going on."

"It's really not," Jane shook her head, feeling a bit surprised how well she now seemed to handle people's reactions.

"Jane-," Frankie said determined, keeping a firm gaze at his sister. "It's obvious. I've figured for months you and Maura have something going, and now you're even moving in together? I mean c'mon, who are you trying to fool?"

Hearing her brother really wasn't backing down, Jane took a deep breath, sat up, and looked straight at him. "I swear- there is nothing going on. We know everyone thinks we're a couple and everything – we might even realize why you'd think so - but we're really not together. We're just friends."

"Who happens to move in together," she then added as she fell back in the sofa. "That's all."

Frankie frowned, but did to his surprise believe her. He knew his sister could be quite skilful in hiding the truth if she wanted to, but he had become quite adept to see through her when she did. And now he could see that she was most definitely telling the truth. He fell back in the armchair, unable not to feel a bit disappointed his sister hadn't anything more interesting to share. "Alright-," he somewhat reluctantly agreed. "But it sure looks like something."

Jane didn't reply but just shrugged, before she took another swig at her beer. She really didn't mind people's reaction, she realized, and felt rather impressed by herself. She knew she'd told herself she wouldn't mind about people's opinions, but still she'd figured she'd react a bit when people again would insinuate anything about her and Maura. But she didn't. At all. She was totally cool with it. Maybe it in a way even felt as a relief; as if now, when knowing everyone's opinion about them and assuring them they were wrong, she and Maura could relax and just be comfortable with each other. Not that they weren't now, but it felt as if there were even less restrictions now. They could be however they wanted with each other, without people fretting or wondering about it.

And that really wasn't too bad.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm**** so so sorry for taking forever to update! First my muse suddenly took off and seemed to decide to stay away, and then real life started bugging me. Things have just not been good for fluffy fanfic writing.**

**Now I've finally made myself finish another chapter though. It still feels rather forced to me as I suddenly found myself having a really hard time finding "the voices" of the characters, but I hope it will do anyway. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it will be better for following chapters. **

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><p>Jane was in a good mood.<p>

Hell, she was in a perfect mood. The double murder exposed a couple of days earlier had been successfully solved and the creep who was responsible put behind bars. She had even gotten to take down the scumbag herself. And on top of that she had reminded Korsak that he owed her from when she'd cover for him last week, and so miraculously convinced him to take care of the pile of paperwork that had been lying on her desk for weeks. That alone would have made her day.

But today she was also moving in with Maura, and she knew that that was really the reason for her awesome mood. That she finally had her whole apartment all packed up, and that she by the end of the day would be living with Maura.

She just couldn't help it. She was ecstatic.

The previous concern that had hovered over her ever since Maura first proposed the idea of living together was by now all gone as well. Because now everything was out in the open. She knew what everyone had been thinking about them; what she figured some people were still thinking about them. And she knew where she and Maura were standing. She could take any misinterpreted reactions and she could handle the sneers and jokes. She had things under control.

And there was no doubt in her mind whatsoever that moving in together wasn't the right thing to do. She wouldn't feel this good if it wasn't. She didn't care what people thought. Best friends could be this close.

With another couple of vigorous strides she walked over the courtyard of her friend's – and soon her own – home, and working her one arm free from under the box she was carrying she knocked on the door.

When Maura opened the door only moments later a smile she almost didn't know she was capable of spread across her face. Her friend was beaming; no doubt feeling as excited as Jane. That sight alone made Jane suddenly feel, if possible, even happier than she was a minute ago. People really were wrong. She could be this happy just by seeing her friend. Obviously.

"Hey," she said, and she was certain the grin lingering in her face must look ridiculously goofy. But she really didn't care. And if she would the matching wide smile spreading in Maura's face would definitely ease her concern.

"Hi," Maura replied, her eyes glistening with anticipation. And showing no real sign of moving the moments past with them standing still; none of them feeling able to break their gazes or easing their smiles.

But suddenly realizing they were standing there like two grinning fools, Maura broke through her own temporarily immobility and stepped aside to let her friend inside. She looked down and shook her head slightly, embarrassed by her own over-excitement. But there were no denying it. She was thrilled. She was getting a housemate. She was getting Jane as a housemate. Today was the start of something wonderful, she was sure.

She looked up and again caught Jane's gaze, but this time Jane forced herself not to let the awkward moment from previous linger. She knew they were excited and exceptionally good and close friends, but getting lost in each others eyes might be to push it a bit too far.

Not that it would mean anything if they did.

She cleared her throat and stepped inside, and was relieved when Maura started talking. "I was up last night to remove my things from your bedroom," she said, obviously thinking they should just get down to business. "It is only the bed and the bureau left, so now you can arrange it as you like." She walked further inside while she kept talking. "And then I also started doing some minor alteration to the rest of the house. Removing some of my things from our common space and moving around some other things to make more room for yours. And since I know that you are not too fond of my art collection or share my interest in reading I have also tried removing much of my art and books."

Jane, however, didn't listen all that much to what Maura was saying but was instead just glancing over the main room that now looked nothing like it used to. Painting had been taken down from the walls; books and ornaments removed from bookcases and tables. Even some of the smaller furniture had been removed or moved around from their usual spots. And instead of the impeccable neatness that was otherwise always present at her friend's house, there were now boxes standing here and there; various still un-packed items encumbering the dining room table.

"Good god Maura-," she said in disbelief and looked around at the emptied and altered room. She knew they had agreed last night to get ready for today – Jane packing her stuff at her apartment, and Maura removing some of hers from her house – but Jane hadn't expected Maura to actually go to this extent. "Did you get any sleep tonight?"

"Well-," Maura said and frowned, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious. But as she looked up at Jane, she smiled. "No," she admitted. "Not really."

Jane smiled, happy that she was not the only one who had been too eager to sleep. Because just like Maura, Jane had been rather busy preparing for their big moving in day as well the previous night.

As if reading her mind, Maura asked, "How about you?"

"Ehm- no," Jane replied and finally put down the box she was carrying. "I was up all night packing. Got everything done." She gave the room another glance and absent-mindedly continued. "I managed to squeeze some boxes into my car, but Frankie and Frost will be over with the rest."

Unaware that they would get help with the moving, Maura tilted her head. "Oh. That's very nice of them."

Jane shrugged, and when she didn't say anything Maura figured they might as well get productive. "Anyway-," she said and glanced over her packed things. "I know you are not too fond of my art collection, and so I tried recollect if there were certain ornaments and paintings in particularly you didn't like." She looked at her friend, a slight distressed expression flashing across her face, as she went on. "Although I'm not so sure if my memory served me correct – maybe it is my art in general that you don't like?" Not really waiting for her friend to reply though, she hurried over to the dining room table and the neatly packed boxes standing there. Picking up something that to Jane looked like a metallic lizard-looking thing from the box, Maura looked at her friend. "You never did like this did you?" the ME asked dubiously, shaking her head slightly and wrinkled her nose while doing so. But again not waiting for an actual reply she looked back down, picking up yet another one of her odd ornaments from the box. "Or this?"

And not really taking any notice to whether her friend actually was about to reply Maura put the ornaments back in the box again, and carried on hurriedly. "Well, I put all these away for now, and then we can later put back the things we decide to keep."

Jane peaked into the various boxes, all filled with a wild, but neatly organized, assortment of ornaments, sculptures and books. "Oh yeah-," she then said assertively, "-these stuff will definitely have to go."

Not prepared to hear such obvious reluctance, Maura flinched and looked at her friend.

"Oh- You mean all of them?" She looked over her many things with a slight disappointed frown, not really being prepared to give everything up. But she'd promised herself to try and be cooperative – especially since she knew her own rather unique taste had been rather hard for her friend to even get used to. "Well, I-," she said insecurely and started packing also the things that was still standing on the table into the boxes. "Alright-"

Noticing that her friend took her a bit too literally, Jane couldn't help but smile. "Maura-," she then said and pulled the things out of her hands. "I was just kidding. I would never make you throw away all of this stuff."

Maura smiled relieved and let her hands, still held by Jane's, drop.

Automatically Jane let Maura's one hand slip away from her grasp, but almost unconsciously she let the other hand linger in hers. She shrugged and smirked. "I've even started to kinda like some of them."

"Oh, really?" Maura beamed.

"Yeah-," Jane shrugged again. "I mean, this stuff is part of who you are. It's nice having it around."

Maura couldn't help but smile at her friend's slight uncharacteristic recognition. "Aw- Jane-" She tilted her head, unable not to feel a bit moved. "That's very sweet. Thank you."

But hearing that, Jane cleared her throat self-consciously. "Yeah well, that doesn't mean I want to keep all of it. We have to mix it up with some of my things."

"Of course," Maura smiled, Jane's words lingering in her mind. "I really want you to feel at home here just as much I do. And I am sure we will find a way to organize out things that will be pleasing to both of us."

Jane smiled her reply, before figuring they might as well just get started. "Now come on-," she said, "-let's go grab my stuff from the car." And almost as if she wasn't quite aware of the hold she still had on Maura's hand she dragged her friend along.

Maura, however, was quite aware of their entangled hands.

It wasn't that she minded it – not at all – she was just very _aware_ of it. Like she knew she had been aware of many things Jane did or said since it had been revealed that people saw them as a couple the other day. And if she was honest with herself, she had feared for a moment – the shortest moment though, but still a moment – that Jane would feel self-conscious and uncomfortable after realizing people saw them as a couple and keep more of a distance. However, from Maura's rather unscientific, she hated to admit, inquire, she would say that Jane did not seem the slightest bit uneasy. Instead she seemed to embrace the situation most good-humouredly and be rather comfortable with it. She joked about it with people at work, and was, if anything, even more relaxed and at ease with Maura than she had before. If Maura wasn't mistaken she would even say her friend had indeed become more physical towards her as well; touching her arm or shoulder just a bit more often than she had before, letting her hand linger just a little bit longer, or simply taking her hand for no real reason like she had just now. The cause of it was still rather unclear to Maura, but at this stage she didn't think about that all that much.

Instead she just enjoyed the discovery.

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><p>In just another couple of hours the house was bustling with life. Frankie and Frost had arrived with a trailer full of Jane's things, Angela had unsurprisingly appeared not soon afterwards, and then even Tommy had showed up and offered his help.<p>

Soon it had to Jane turned out like any other painfully stressful moving day. Boxes and things in a chaotic mess. People constantly bickering and yelling. In other words; a day she appreciated more afterward than during.

Maura on the other hand, found the experience rather enjoyable. Not only had she never lived together with someone since she was a girl, but she had never really experienced the social event of moving either. When she first moved away to boarding school her parents had been too busy to take her, and so the family's assistant, who she had been terrified by all her young life, had unceremoniously dropped her off at the airport from where she would take the flight to France. And each year when she would go back to school after summer break, the situation had been much similar. Then when she was grown up and moved around it had always been done under much organized and quiet circumstances; everything planned and structured eminently, and always in the seclusion of herself. That was why the bustling life around her now, the way the Rizzoli family as well as Frost was buzzing around, hollering and bickering with each other, was to her such a wonderful experience. And much like the many other family events she had been fortuned to be apart of since she met Jane, she was happy to take part of also this one.

Although, not everything went smooth and problem free.

Like when Maura saw the less than stylistically correct things her friend, her very dear, but very tasteless friend, wanted to bring to their common home.

She'd seen most of the things at Jane's apartment, but somehow she had not taken much notice to them there and found them rather fitting to their environment. Removed from there, however, and seen on their own they were not as pleasant. But just as she'd promised, she had been very forthcoming and accepted many things she would herself never dream of having in her home if Jane wouldn't be living there; just like she knew Jane had accepted far more many things of Maura's than she really had to.

But to see the so called 'get well present' Jane had received from her two partners after her gunshot incident last year that was now standing outside the house was to push the limit.

"No!" Maura expressed firmly, showing no sign of bending. "No, that-," she started and almost forgetting how to breath she waved her hand in front of the punching dummy, "-_thing_ is not coming. It's just not."

"C'mon Maura-," Jane tried with another mixture of a sigh and a groan. "I told you I'd agree to keep up with most of your weird dead art stuff and that I can keep most of my sport things in my bedroom. You should be able to accept this."

"You can bring how many sport memorabilia and various other items that you'd like Jane, but I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that that-," again she searched for words, and again she was at a loss and so repeated her gesture,"-_thing _is under the roof."

"Maura- you're being ridiculous."

"I am not," Maura defended; slightly irritated that Jane would say so. "I just don't understand why you would need that and a punching bag. Wouldn't just the one be enough?"

Jane shrugged slightly, figuring that the one of her boxing equipment _should_ be enough. But it wasn't. She needed them both.

"Well the punching bag is better for actual exercise-," she explained, "-but with this one you get a bit more real life feel to it." Swiftly she gave the face of the dummy an expertly strike with the back of her elbow. "You know?" she smirked to her friend.

But Maura did not seem to 'know', but instead kept her firm gaze at her friend, causing an inevitable pout from Jane.

"C'mon Maura-," she complained in a matter sounding uncharacteristically much like whining. "This is work. I need it for practice."

Maura squirmed, much to her displeasure seeing Jane's point. But still she wasn't quite ready to give up her persuasion that that thing did not fit in their house. "Well, it's-," she started, although not really knowing how to go on.

"I understand you need to practise as your profession requires it," she then said. "But the police gym is perfectly well-equipped with these types of training gear. I don't see why you have to take it home with you. Even you must know about all the research that has proven that it really is not healthy to bring your work home with you."

Jane stared at her friend. "Really?" she said in disbelief, certain she must have heard wrong. "You, who read autopsy rapports in bed, are telling me not to take work home with me?"

Maura frowned uncomfortable, as Jane went on. "You know none of us have a life outside of work."

But hearing this Maura flinched. "Maybe we are a bit too engaged in work, but that would hardly mean we don't have lives. We are both perfectly healthy with fully functional hearts and brain activity, and-"

"Maura!" Jane interrupted impatiently, causing Maura to abruptly stop her tirade. Briefly her eyes flickered over to Frankie and Frost who both just stepped outside to gather more items from the trailer, before she looked back at her friend. She sighed heavily, gesticulating at the dummy. "So what do we do with this?"

Suddenly feeling guilty for denying her friend her training equipment, Maura didn't really know what to say. "The guesthouse?" she then however offered slightly more cooperatively and strained a smile.

"Fine," Jane grumbled exaggerated, figuring the suggestion wasn't too bad. Still she couldn't help but sulk as she started detaching the dummy from the frame. "But you're such a kill joy-"

"I am not," Maura defended, shocked to hear such an accusation.

"Yes you are," Jane replied, trying to sound as irritated as she thought she was allowed to. But seeing the shocked expression in Maura's face, Jane still had to suppress a smile.

Maura frowned displeased - despite the fact that she was fairly certain her friend wasn't too serious. But she would not give in. "No I'm not."

But before their argument could go on any further, Frankie interrupted. "Where did you want this?" he asked and coaxed out a wooden chest from the U-haul trailer.

With just a brief glance at what her brother was referring to, Jane replied. "In the great room."

"What?" Maura however interrupted in surprise. "No."

Jane stared at her friend. "What? What do you mean 'no'?"

"I-," Maura started, but seeing the annoyed look from her friend she stopped. There was no way she could expect to win also this disagreement without quite an argument. But still she couldn't help herself but to stand firm. "I mean no." Seeing the irritable expression in her friend's face that did nothing but reduce, however, Maura carried on with much caution. "I was hoping we could have it in the library."

"And why not the great room?" Jane replied a bit too irritated than she had planned.

Maura winced, certain her friend would not like her reply. "It would disturb the textural balance of the dining table furniture and the sofa."

Jane sighed, sensing her patience about to run out. "You're kidding me right?"

Maura shook her head, hating herself just a little bit for not just giving up. "No- I am not."

Jane took a deep breath before opening her mouth to speak, but luckily Frost, who amused had just let his gaze drift between the two bickering women, beat her to it.

"Would you look at those two-," he said to Frankie and shook his head, "-already looking like a married couple."

And hearing that, Jane's and Maura's bickering suddenly ceased, and instead they looked at each other with a matching pair of smiles. But washed over by a sudden light-heartedness Jane suddenly broke the moment and threw an arm over Maura's shoulders, pulling her closer. Before anyone knew it she planted a big wet kiss on her friend's cheek. She glanced down at her with a smile border between playfulness and affection. "Yep, me and the missis," she said and turned to Frankie and Barry, flashing a wide grin.

Maura, however, did not feel as comfortable but had instead been struck by a sudden dizziness, and seemed only be able to focus on trying to keep herself steady on her suddenly weakened legs – something that felt so much harder with Jane putting much of her weight on her. It was not until Jane removed her arm around her shoulders that Maura felt as if she was finally coming around. Forcing any lingering thoughts from the confusing sensation away, she instead tried focusing on what Jane said. And when finally being able to recollect her words, she looked at her friend. "Why would you say that Jane? Why would you assume that I would be the wife in this scenario?"

"Oh c'mon, Maura-," Jane shrugged and finally managed to detach the punching dummy from its frame, "-I was just kidding."

"Well, I am serious," Maura replied, not at all feeling ready to drop the subject. "I want to know what you base that statement on. Is it because I prefer dressing in clothes that are perceived as more feminine, or that I don't have your physical strength? What is it?"

Jane opened her mouth to reply, but not really letting her cut in, Maura went on. "There are actually plenty of signs that indicate that it in our case would be the other way around, as neither of us really fit in the narrow stereotypes society has created of husband and wife in the way you suggest." She stopped momentarily, before going on. "For example, you are a lot better with people than I am and you really are a much better chef than I am once you take the time for it. And I know a great deal more about mechanics, electronics and other various technical fields – not to mention science - that are all perceived as traditional male in western societies. Apart from the plumbing I am fairly certain that I will actually be the one in this household that will take care of many of the tasks that throughout modern history has been commonly connected to the husband's." She stopped, but just thinking of something more, she again continued. "And you know that even when it comes to plumbing I am not completely without skills."

Unable not to, Jane had just stared at the ME. "Fine already," she rolled her eyes as her friend finally stopped her ramble, briefly looking over at Frost and Frankie who were still looking on amused. "You be the guy."

"Well-," Maura shrugged, not quite satisfied with that reply. "That was not what I was saying. I was just concerned why you would describe us in such limited and normative stereotypes that are not only prejudiced, but also rather outdated."

"Haven't we had this discussion before?" Jane then asked, suddenly remembering an occasion from before where this same thing had come up.

"Yes. We have," Maura confessed, also remembering the discussion Jane was referring to. "And didn't we then come to the same conclusion?"

"That you're bossy?" Jane smirked. "Yeah. We did."

"Well-," Maura retorted and tilted her head. "I think we agreed that we were both bossy."

Involuntarily Jane smiled, but instead of replying she just pushed the one end of the punching dummy at her. "Here- help me carry this thing over to the guesthouse."

Maura opened her mouth in surprise, before instead a small chuckle escaped her. "I appreciate that you expressly show I'm not the only one that's bossy," she then replied and gripped the legs of the dummy as they started walking over towards the guesthouse. "It really do help to strengthen my argument."

And as they walked away, still bantering playfully with each other, Frankie and Frost stood left behind watching them for a moment. As the women then disappeared into the house, Frost shook his head in disbelief and turned to Frankie. "Like I said: married."


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank****s for the last round of reviews! I am as always very grateful and happy of getting them! =) **

**So here we go with another chapter of our lovely doc and detective being their usual clueless selves. I ****almost feel bad for their obliviousness but as it's just so adorable, I just can't help myself… I think that things will start to turn soon though.**

**Oh, and also: When I started this story I wrote it to take place sometime during the first ten episodes of season 2, but now, with the whole first part of season 2 behind us, this story has kind of followed. Consequently there might be references/spoilers from here on out in this story from any episode in season 1 and 2. ****Just thought I should let you know.**

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><p>The moving day continued, and Jane found herself enjoying it so much more than any other moving days she had experienced in the past. Somehow the very sight of the wild mixture of hers and Maura's things together just made her feel oddly high-spirited. Apart from the slight inevitable chaos of moving, it just seemed so simple. And somehow, so <em>right.<em>

And by now the rooms were starting to look fit to live in again. Much of the mess of boxes and things were now gone and put into place. The empty walls and hollow bookcases Maura had previous arranged were now partly decorated and filled again with a variety of both of their things. And even though things like the sport memorabilia collection now gracing one of the bookcases, the home-made box with hockey clubs and baseball bats in the hall, was an undeniable mismatch to the high art and exclusive furniture of Maura's, it somehow worked. Or Jane was just blinded by the joy of moving in together that she didn't notice the chaos. Or maybe it was because she simple didn't care too much about stylistic correct decoration in the first place. But even Maura had confessed that she found some of the contrasts charming, so Jane figured that should count for something. And even though the great room was greatly changed from Maura's previous decoration, Jane knew that in the other rooms, and behind the closed doors of cabinets and closets, the change to the new mixture of their things were even more palpable.

It really was starting to look, and feel, like a home that both she and Maura could call a home, and that really felt rather amazing.

She couldn't deny though, that it also felt kind of strange. Not strange bad, but just strange.

She simply had never really imagined herself moving in with a friend like this. After she moved out from her parents home as soon as she turned eighteen, and after that brief fiasco when she'd lived with a couple of friends, she had figured she would stay living alone for quite awhile. Until she found that magically appeared soul mate everyone expected to find; that someone she was supposed to marry, start a family with and spend the rest of her life with. She wasn't sure whether it was just one of those ideas that inevitably had been planted in her by everyone's expectations and ideas of life, or if she really wanted it though.

Because alongside that idealistic image, she knew she'd also sworn to herself that she would never get married. She didn't want to end up like one of those divorced cops and she didn't want a family that were always sick with worry. She definitely didn't want to leave a husband and kids behind if something were to happen to her; something she knew very well could happen.

But even though she'd sworn it, she knew she still figured that one day those concerns would go away and she would want the husband, the kids and the whole thing. Deep down though, she wondered if she ever would. Because she knew that she at least so far had never allowed herself to go there with any of the men she had dated. Not that she had liked any of them that much, but even if she would have, she knew she wouldn't allow herself to be too attached. She wouldn't allow them to be attached. And now she started wondering why she would believe that would ever change. Why she expected that she one day would just change and embrace the whole family thing, when she knew her own reluctance to it. She would still be a cop, she would still hate to have someone worrying over her, and she would still imagine that it either way would end badly anyway - just like it did for most cops. Those things would never change, and so probably never her reluctance to get attached.

And maybe that was why this felt so good. Because this was all she needed. Having the company and closeness of living with a friend, but not having to deal with the concerns and troubles she would if she was married.

Maybe Maura would one day go on and find someone she'd want to marry and have kids with, but if not, Jane wouldn't mind it. Because she realized that she could totally picture them staying like this. Growing old together. Like two old spinsters in a big old house. Just like those women in the old movies who rather stay independent and unattached, rather than be tied down and dependant of a husband. Maybe the setting and the reasons weren't exactly the same, but the basic idea with it wasn't too far off. Maybe it wasn't every little girl's dream, but to Jane it really didn't sound too bad.

Now, when she thought about it, she actually found the idea quite nice.

Maybe she could even try to open her mind a bit and take after Maura's openness of sleeping with random guys. Then she'd have the sexual part of it worked out as well. Although, she wasn't so sure if she'd really miss that, all that much. She could probably skip that part all together, and just do the growing old with Maura part.

She glanced over the newly decorated room again, her eyes automatically landing on Maura who was busy packing up something from a box. Instinctively a smile reached her lips.

Yeah, she figured, that could totally work. Because if there was one person Jane could imagine living with for a long time, it would be Maura.

Waking up, having breakfast together, before going in to work. Then coming back home again, together having dinner. Maybe Jane would cook some Italian from one of the Rizzoli recipes, or Maura would insist they should have one of those unpronounceable French dishes she loved (that Jane had to confess weren't that bad once understanding what it even was). Then maybe Maura would open a bottle of wine while Jane had a couple of beers that they later would bring over to the sofa where they'd continue the night.

And then on the weekends they would just chill, either just staying in or doing something out in the city. And in the summers, they could have barbecues in the backyard with friends and family, or if it was a rainy day they could instead stay inside, just the two of them, nuzzled up under a blanket watching movies all day long.

Wrapped up in thoughts that were getting more and more uncharacteristic for the otherwise practical detective, Jane didn't notice the smile in her face, or that her gaze was still lingering on the ME. Or the fact that her mother was watching her.

"She really makes you happy doesn't she?" Angela then said to finally let her presence known.

"Jesus Ma!" Jane exclaimed and glared at her mother, quickly pushing her previous thoughts far away. "You scared the crap out of me!"

Angela though, didn't take too much to her daughter's discontent but instead just went on; not ready to let her daughter off the hook so quickly. "What were you thinking about just now?" she asked with a feigned innocent curiously.

Jane looked at her mother, the thoughts she had previously been interrupted from now inevitably brought back to her. And of some reason she felt a brief wave of panic wash over her at her mother's question.

"What? Nothing," she said, much to her dismay sounding a lot more strained than she'd planned. "Just moving stuff."

Angela, however, did not seem satisfied by that reply. "It didn't look like moving stuff," she said, knowing for a fact that the love-stricken smile and the affectionate eyes she'd previously witnessed must be about something else. "I would say you were fantasizing about your life with Maura."

Jane jerked again, startled by her mother's direct words, and, if she was honest to herself, how dangerously close she was with her assumption. Not that it was anything wrong with what she had been thinking about. It was totally ok to be thinking of your friend like that. She was just looking forward living together; of course she would imagine of how it would be like. But before she could voice a reply, her mother spoke again.

"You have started realizing your feelings for her haven't you?" she said, a vague, but rather hopeful, smile on her lips.

"What? What the hell ma!"

Ignoring her daughter obvious reluctance, Angela asked, "Have you talked to her yet?"

"Really?" Jane glared. She knew she could joke about hers and Maura's marriage-like relationships with her partners and friends, but to talk about her mother's ideas about them were just annoying. "Goddamnit ma, you have to stop doing this. I'm not in love with her."

And now all worked up, Jane went on before her mother could interrupt.

"And why are you even here?" she accused impatiently. "You should be packing up in _your_ new home. Not mine."

"That's very ungrateful of you to say Jane," Angela responded, displeased of her daughter's unappreciative words. Mostly, though, she was just disappointed of the change of the discussion. But she knew Jane and Maura would happen eventually. Her daughter was just being stubborn, like she usually was. Angela could be patient. She could allow her daughter this change of discussion. "Of course I would have to give you a hand first and help you get settled."

"There's no need ma," Jane shot back, still just feeling nothing but irritated at her mother. "We got this. You should just go on pack your stuff."

"I will," Angela replied, slightly more pleasantly. "But I'm sure you could still need an extra pair of hands."

"No it's really ok ma," Jane tried again. "We already have all the help we need. I mean, you _really _should just get going."

"That's ok," Angela said, choosing to ignore her daughter obvious reluctance once more. "I'll be happy to help you."

Jane sighed in frustration. "Fine," she then gave in. "Just-," she started impatiently, flailing her arms in the air as she walked away, "-stay away from me."

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><p>And Angela did stay away from her daughter but did instead move on to Maura – whose pleasantness and calmness she found much easier to deal with than her daughter's short-temper anyway.<p>

Packing up the boxes of books Jane had brought - that to Maura were disappointingly few - they worked in silence. But not too patient with being quiet, Angela soon spoke up.

"You know-," she said as she continued with the unpacking, "-this house is really suitable for kids."

A bit surprised by Angela's statement, Maura looked up from her box. "Oh? Really?"

"Oh yes," Angela nodded. "Do you see that room over there?" she said and pointed toward the small room opposite the main bedroom. "It would be a perfect nursery. It has the suitable size and is close to the main bedroom."

Maura tilted her head, not really knowing what to say to that. "Well-," she then said slightly confused, "-it's the tortoises' room now, now when Jane has taken Bass'. But I'm sure you're right."

"And that backyard you have-," Angela went on, not really listening too much about turtles, or the fact that they had their own room, "-it's perfect for kids to play around at. Maybe a backyard in a residential district would be slightly better, but for a townhouse in the city it's perfect."

"Well, I- I guess I have never really thought about that," Maura said with a frown, still not quite certain where Angela was going with this discussion.

Leaving the books she had been unpacking Angela walked over to the window, and looking outside at the small backyard she nodded for herself. "Yeah, I can really see a couple of little Maura's running around out there."

And hearing that Maura's head snapped up to look at Angela, and she was happy to find her still standing with her back towards her as she felt an unstoppable blush spreading in her face.

But before she could even try to get around, Angela turned around and looked at her. "Do you want kids Maura?"

"Uh-," the otherwise very eloquent ME stammered. "I- I don't know," she then finally managed to say. "Or well, I guess I do." Knowing, however, that that wasn't entirely the most truthful answer, she again altered her answer to a more definite one. "Yes I do."

Angela smiled widely. "That's what I thought. I think you'd be a great mother."

Maura smiled, feeling unexpectedly happy to hear that. "You think so?"

"Oh yes."

"You know-," Maura then said, suddenly not at all feeling as uncomfortable with the discussion anymore. Absent-mindedly she carried on with her task of unpacking the box in front of her. "I never really thought I would, but after that case where we had to find parents to that orphaned baby – where you were a volunteer kangaroo – I actually found myself liking children a lot."

"I could tell," Angela nodded self-assured, and patted the ME on the arm. "You did have that nurturing quality about you."

"I had?" Maura beamed.

Uh huh," Angela nodded again, before shrugging a bit presumptuously. "I can tell about these things."

Maura tilted her head, and although appreciating Angela's word enormously she couldn't help but to wonder for a moment what the justification of such a statement actually was. But before she could really come to a conclusion, Angela spoke again.

"I would be happy to baby-sit and help you with fixing the nursery and all those things," Angela then offered helpfully, sounding as if the ME were actually having children now and not possibly sometime in the future.

"Oh-," Maura jerked, again startled by Angela's word. "Well- I-, that's very nice of you, but-" Yet again Maura found trouble finding her words, and much to her annoyance she also sensed another blush forming in her face. But before she could finish her reply, Angela went on, slightly changing the subject.

"Did you know that Jane loves children?" she asked. Although as the question wasn't really raised to be answered she went on without letting the ME to cut in. "I know she tries not to let it show, but I know she does. Because you should just see her with her little cousins. She is absolutely wonderful with them."

Maura smiled, the image of Jane with her cousins somehow making her forget about her previous discomfort. Instead she found herself smiling of the thought of Jane playing around with younger Rizzoli's. She knew how amazingly good Jane was with people, and on the cases involving children she had noticed that that applied to them as well. She wasn't at all surprised that Jane's little cousins would adore her.

And that caring ability her friend seemed to possess was really one of the things Maura appreciated about her; something she admired her for. Because compared to Jane, Maura knew that she, herself, had never been very good with children. Even less so than she was with adults. She had never had any close relatives or friends with children and so she had never really had any children in her surroundings either. The only real contact she had had with them was from the paediatrics in medical school really, and the occasional cases where living children were involved. And that lack of experience, together with her own slight fear of social interaction, was amongst the reasons why she never really thought she would have children herself. She had thought that she never really wanted to. It really was not until that case - where they tried finding that orphaned baby's parents - when she realized that she did. She didn't at all know how and when it would happen, and she was still worried that she would fail enormously, but she couldn't help looking forward to one day becoming a mother.

But bringing the ME out from her thoughts and back to the discussion they were having, Angela spoke again. "I really do think she wants children," she said confidently. And with a surprisingly wide smile in her face, she looked at the ME and added, "And you will both be such wonderful mothers."

Maura smiled and opened her mouth to reply, but before she could even think to get around to it, a heated detective stormed into the room.

"Ma!" Jane exclaimed irritated. "What the hell!"

"What?" Angela quickly defended.

"'What?'!" Jane echoed in shock. "Are you kidding me?"

"We were just talking about kids," Angela replied innocently. "It's nothing wrong with that, is it?"

"When you're doing the talking, yes it is," Jane replied abruptly and irritated shoved her mother out of the room.

Feeling slightly bewildered of the sudden change in the discussion, Maura just watched how Jane practically pushed her mother out the door.

"It really wasn't that bad Jane," she then said as her friend returned.

And with similar reaction she'd shown towards her mother, Jane now stared at her friend. "Maura! She was talking about kids. And you. And me."

She went silent, just looking intensely at her friend, but when Maura showed no sign of reacting the way Jane would have preferred, she impatiently went on. "You know she thought we were a couple don't you?"

"Well yes-," Maura replied, slightly confused. "But that doesn't mean she was talking about us having children, if that's what you're referring to."

With a shocked expression that had by now almost become permanent in her face, Jane stared at her friend. "Are you crazy? Of course that's what she was talking about! She's baby crazy and wants us to be together, and now she's on about how we'd make good mothers? Maura, c'mon!"

Maura was just about to retort, when she suddenly stopped and just looked at her friend. "She _wants_ us to be together?"

"Yeah. I told you."

"No, you said she thought we were, just like everyone else," Maura replied and shook her head. "You didn't say she wanted us to be."

"Oh- Well, she does."

And hearing that, Maura couldn't help but smile. She knew it might be wrong to feel so, but she couldn't help but feel flattered to be considered as a preferable daughter-in-law. To feel welcomed and included into a warm and loving family. Because that was something the otherwise lonely and socially awkward ME had never had, something she feared she would never get. It really was one of the nicest recognitions she could ever recieve.

Jane, however, did not realize her friend's appreciation and just found her reaction alarming. "Maura! C'mon!"

Leaving her thoughts to herself, Maura laughed at Jane's reaction. "I'm sorry Jane, but I think that's- I think that's sweet."

Jane looked at her friend as she'd gone crazy. "What?"

"She just wants grandchildren," Maura then responded patiently. "And you are the oldest of her children, so naturally she would expect you to provide first; especially if she now thinks that we will get together."

Jane looked down, suddenly hit by her previous thoughts about her future and her probable child-less life. And she couldn't help but feel a bit blue by the thought. "Yeah well-," she snorted sarcastically, "-then it might have to be with you."

Maura jerked and stared at her friend. "What?"

That was not what she had meant. At all. But before Maura could really try and scrutinize her own previous words, she detected the symptoms of nervousness coming over her; palpitation of her heart, perspiration, involuntary contraction of her muscles - and automatically she started stammering nervously. "I- I don't- I mean-."

Realizing that her apparent voiced concern had come out quite wrong - especially during these circumstances – Jane quickly tried to backtrack. "Jesus Maura, I didn't mean it so seriously! Relax."

And when seeing Maura indeed exhaled relieved and relaxed, Jane sank down next to her in the sofa, shrugging wearily. "I'm just not so sure I'll ever wanna get married and all that you know," she then found herself saying cheerlessly, instinctively brushing the scars on her palms with her thumbs. "I'm just not sure if it's worth it, with being a cop and everything."

Maura looked at her friend, offering a compassionate look. She knew about her friend's reluctance of getting married. Jane had pointed it out numerous times throughout the years they had known each other, and even if Maura may not agree with her reasons, she understood her reluctance. In a way she could even relate. It was not that Maura didn't want a family – not at all - but her experiences with relationships instead made her debate whether she'd actually wanted a husband. Partners were good to fulfil sexual needs, but when it came to more than that, they mostly seemed to disappoint. She really did not see the appeal with relationships. And that she still wanted children did she not see as an actual problem. She would simply have to do it on her own. That was how she approached most things in her life after all, and that aspect of motherhood really did not scare her at all.

But before she really even could finish her thought, she heard her own voice talking. "Well, maybe your mother's idea might be practical."

And this time it was Jane's turn again to stare at her friend. "What?"

Maura looked back with similar surprise, but realizing it was indeed herself who had stated previous suggestion, she swallowed nervously. She offered a slight embarrassed smile, before figuring she might as well go on with what she had obviously started. "Well, you are obviously reluctant to getting married, and I am considering the fact that I may want to have children on my own." she said confidentially, before shrugging. "It might me a viable alternative."

Jane looked at her friend, and found herself smiling. "Yeah?" she smirked, actually finding Maura's rather blunt suggestion as an appreciated distraction from her own previous burdening thoughts. And so she decided to play along. "Well it would sure fit our image of a married couple-," she said with a slight sarcastic chuckle.

Maura smiled, pleased by Jane's relaxed response. "Oh yes! That's right-," she then said readily, as if not really having considered the circumstance Jane pointed out. And not missing a beat to continue their joking, she put a reassuring hand on her friend's forearm. "And Jane, in this case I really wouldn't mind being the wife."

Jane chuckled, realizing they were apparently going on with this banter. "Oh?" she said, remembering Maura's reluctance of being the wife in the previous discussion they'd had about their roles in a supposed marriage. "Now it's ok? Whatever happened to you being the guy?"

"Oh I never said I wanted to be the guy," Maura replied hastily and shook her head. "But if you want to be the child-bearer, of course I wouldn't mind," she then added kindly. She flashed a bright smile. "I could the next time."

"The next time?" Jane echoed in disbelief and finally thinking that the discussion had gone on long enough, she brushed her hand against her forehead. "God Maura, we really have to stop having these kinds of discussions."

Maura, however, was thoroughly enjoying their banter and just looked at her friend with feigned distress. "Oh, you're concerned people might take it the wrong way?"

"What-" Jane smirked, again feeling unable not to be caught up by Maura's playfulness, "-that they won't get that we're just close friends having kids together?"

Maura nodded, hiding her amusement impressively well behind a straight face. Although just a moment later, a smile spread also in her face. "Because it would be rather tricky wouldn't it?"

Jane gave her friend her best incredulous look. "You think?"

But seeing how Maura again opened her mouth to reply, Jane interrupted her; giving it another try to end the absurd discussion. "Ok seriously Maura. We really have to stop this."

The ME, however, was still not quite ready to drop it, and shook her head with a doubtful frown. "You don't think it's a good idea? Because I really would be fine with-"

But not letting her friend say another word, Jane quickly lashed forward and put a hand over her mouth.

"Maura-," she said, now trying her very best to sound firm. "I mean it. Stop it."

But when seeing the twinkle in her friend's eyes, feeling the smile under her hand, Jane couldn't help but laugh as she removed her hand. And with a matching smile, Maura gave her friend a slight nudge, before she then went back to unpack the books.

Jane, however, sat still for a moment and let her hand, that had somehow ended up on her friend's thigh, unconsciously linger.

This was exactly the kind of companionship she needed. She didn't need the whole family thing. As long as she had a good friend like this – someone who understood her and she felt comfortable with to even have these kinds of crazy conversations - she'd be fine.

She really had everything she wanted already.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry again for being bad on the updates… Being an insanely slow writer together with no actual time to write makes speedy updates tricky. ****So I might as well warn you, it might continue taking time between the chapters. I hope you'll have patience with me and stick around, and I will do my best to not be too painfully slow..**

**Also, from the many wonderful reviews for the last chapter I got the impression that some wanted things to happen sooner between Maura and Jane, and some wanted it to drag out even longer, and for awhile there I debated which way to go. Then in the end, I decided to go on as I had planned. That is, somewhere in between. I hope you're all with me on that. **

**And for you who seem uncertain whether this is Rizzles or not.. It is. It most definitely is. With these two it's impossible for it not to be :)**

**And yay, the story has more than 100 reviews! =) Never thought I would see that day for any of my stories, so a big big thanks to all of you! **

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><p>Maura closed the front door and the house went silent.<p>

Angela, the last of their moving-helper, had finally left. Maura had truly enjoyed everyone's company, appreciated their help, but she couldn't help but feel happy that they now all had left.

Now it was just her and Jane.

Alone in their home.

The very thought made her feel undeniably happy and she couldn't help the wide smile from spreading in her face. Of some reason she felt even happier than she thought she would.

It had really happened.

They were living together.

She, Doctor Maura Isles, the weird and socially awkward Doctor Isles, was actually sharing a home with someone else. She wasn't alone. And more importantly, she wasn't alone because she was living with Jane.

Happy couldn't even begin to cover it.

But then there were other feelings. Anticipation. Hopefulness. Something else she couldn't quite define. But also she felt peculiar that Jane wasn't there, right there, rejoicing with her. As a matter of fact, she almost felt lonely - despite how strange that itself was - for standing there on her own in the hallway while her friend was still packing up in her bedroom.

It was especially odd, she realized, considering they were in fact only some rooms apart.

But she couldn't help it.

She didn't want to be standing there on her own. She wanted to be with her friend. She wanted to celebrate with her friend.

And not lingering for much longer, nor pondering about it too much, she turned around and headed for Jane's bedroom. But then she stopped. This needed champagne.

And instead she climbed down to the cellar that she had decorated into a small, but most practical, wine cellar. She scanned her finer bottles of champagne, rejecting one after the other until she finally found the perfect vintage.

Some minutes later she was at last heading towards Jane again, now with a bottle of champagne in one hand and two glasses in the other.

Jane was sitting on her bed with heavy shoulders, looking exceptionally tired as she gazed out over the still packed boxes in front of her.

When she turned around, however, there was a smile spreading over her tired features that Maura found incredibly warming.

"Hi," she said, lingering momentarily in the doorway.

"Hey," Jane replied, and like so many times before they let their gazes linger for just a moment longer than necessary.

Jane, being the one to first break their spell this time, then looked down at the bottle and glasses in Maura's hands. "What's with the booze?"

Almost as if she'd forgotten the champagne she had in her hands, Maura jerked. "Oh-." She looked down at the bottle and glasses, a slight embarrassed expression spreading across her face. A bit self-conscious she looked up at her friend. "Your mother just left and I felt like celebrating."

Jane chuckled. "Yeah, my mother leaving sure is something to celebrate."

Although feeling guilty for saying something that could be misinterpreted so badly, Maura laughed. "That was not what I meant."

Jane grinned, and like it usually did Maura felt how it made her previous discomfort leaving.

"How is it going?" she instead asked and walked over to the bed to sit down next to her friend, glancing over the still slight mess in the room.

"Eh-," Jane shrugged tiredly, not feeling the slightest bit unhappy that her friend had interrupted her unpacking. "Could sure call it a day."

Maura smiled and handed Jane the two glasses. "That was what I was hoping you would say."

Taking the glasses, Jane glanced over the black bottle in her friend's hands. "What is this? Looks fancy."

"Prestige cuvée La Grande Dame -82," Maura replied and carefully eased out the cork from the bottle. "A particular exquisite vintage of Le Veuve Brut."

Keeping her eyes firmly set on her friend's undeniably skilled hands handling the champagne, Jane now looked up. "Wasn't that the pricey stuff we got at the Memorial for Adam Fairfield last year?"

Maura nodded, her eyes briefly flashing up to meet Jane's, before pouring the drinks. "I remember how much you liked it."

Jane smiled, feeling quite touched of her friend's simple gesture.

"I bought it when I visited the vineyard fifteen years ago, and have kept it stored since."

Hearing that, however, Jane jerked. "God Maura!" she exclaimed, and if Maura wasn't already pouring the drinks: would have pulled the glasses away. "Why did you open this now? You should've kept storing it for a special occasion!"

"Don't be silly," Maura replied and put the bottle on the nightstand. "This is the perfect opportunity to drink it."

"Well I was thinking more when you'll win the Nobel Prize or have the Queen over or something," Jane said and rolled her eyes. "Those kinds of occasions."

"Those are hardly realistic occasions Jane," Maura replied and took one of the glasses from her friend. "And you will most likely be drinking it with me on any occasions I might find special enough to celebrate anyway, so we might as well have it now."

"Oh yeah?" Jane smiled. "You'll even invite me when you'll win the Nobel Prize?"

"Considering the fact that I am a medical examiner and don't actually do any research work, the probability of me wining the Nobel Prize really is rather non-existent," Maura replied matter-of-factly. "But if I would change my field of work and go into more research and then against all odds would win such a prize: yes, I would invite you."

"Aw-," Jane smiled, feeling slightly more happy than she expected she would of hearing that.

She clinked their glasses, a smirk in her face. "To winning the Nobel Prize then."

Maura shot her friend a look, not quite pleased with Jane's idea of a toast. "To moving in," she altered.

Jane smiled, turning serious as well. "Yeah-," she agreed, now surprisingly soft-spoken. "To moving in."

They took a sip, but as the liquid touched Jane's taste buds her previous seriousness was gone again. "Man!" she exclaimed before she had hardly swallowed. "This makes the stuff at the Fairfield's taste like grape juice." She stared at the glass as if she couldn't quite believe what she had just been drinking. "Holy crap!"

Maura laughed, and looked down at the drink in her hand as well. "It was rather tasty wasn't it?"

"Tasty?" Jane echoed in disbelief, and took another sip, or gulp rather, of the drink. "This is fucking delicious!" She shook her head, still amazed by the champagne, and didn't really listen to Maura reproaching her about her language.

"If this is the kind of things you're going to give me while living here, you'll spoil me," she then said. "You know that right?" But before letting Maura reply, she went on answering her own question. "Which I would totally not mind." She flashed a grin at her friend. "We're making this a tradition, yeah?"

Maura looked at he friend, distress flashing over her face. "Oh but Jane-," she replied, looking painfully troubled, "-this was the only bottle of this vintage that I had!"

Hating to disappoint her friend, she looked over at the bottle with a troubled frown, almost as if she was hoping it could multiply right there. "I might have some other brands that you'd appreciate though. Maybe some Moët & Chandon or Laurent-Perrier-." She looked back at her friend, her distressed frown still visible in her face. "Or maybe you'll like some of the sparkling wines I have? Crémant or Cava or …"

Jane smiled at seeing how her friend had taken her a bit too literally. And even though Maura looked painfully troubled as she rambled incomprehensible names of wines, Jane didn't mind to reassure her when she, after turning silent, turned to look at her. Instead she just put a comforting hand on her thigh, brushing lightly, and offered an affectionate smile.

Not really knowing why her friend was looking at her like that, Maura tilted her head confused.

That, however, only made Jane's expression to deepen, and she had to stop herself for not just lash out and hug her friend for her adorableness.

"I'll think we'll be ok Maur," she then instead said, hints of her previous smile still lingering.

And even if she'd forced herself to control herself just seconds earlier, she could now not resist but reaching out to briefly brush her friend's cheek before she slightly embarrassed broke their eye contact and scooted up to rest against the headboard.

Surprised of Jane's small, but unexpectedly affectionate gesture, Maura sat still for a moment, a smile on her lips, before she followed Jane's lead to lean against the headboard.

And for a couple of moments they sat silent, just sipping their drinks and enjoying each others company.

"So- living together huh?" Jane then said, her previous embarrassment all gone, and gave her friend a sideway grin.

Maura nodded and looked down in her glass, feeling to her surprise as if her heart suddenly skipped a beat. "Yeah."

"Feels kinda good, doesn't it?"

Maura smiled and looked over at her friend, inevitably locking their eyes. "It does."

Jane felt her smile widening, and she could practically not remember when she felt this good before. And she had felt good _a lot_ lately.

"You'll keep me as a house elf or something when you'll get married won't you?" she then joked. "'Cuz I think you might get a hard time getting rid of me now that you got me."

Maura smiled and opened her mouth to reply, but was quickly interrupted by Jane.

"And no-," she said, a small smile escaping her, "-I didn't mean as an actual elf."

And this time Maura smiled even wider. Despite her occasional habit of taking Jane a bit too literal she did think she was starting to learn to distinguish her friend's jokes and sarcasm by now – previous instant excluded - and this time had not been an exception. As a matter of fact, from the words her friend had just spoken, Jane being a house elf was the last thing she'd reacted on.

"I _got_ you?" she instead repeated, feeling a mixture of amusement and, strangely enough, excitement.

Slightly confused that her friend had focused on something entirely different than she'd expected, it took a moment for Jane to reply. "Maura-," she then tried, vague signs of embarrassment again visible on her cheeks. "C'mon- you know what I mean."

"No no, that's quite alright," Maura replied stoically and put up her hand as if to stop Jane to say anything more. The smirk that appeared in her face the next moment, however, was quite inevitable. She looked back at her friend. "And I think I might enjoy- _having_ you."

Despite not really knowing why, Jane grinned. "Oh you would, would you?"

Maura smiled innocently, shrugging lightly, and took a sip of her drink.

Left only to gaze back at her friend, Jane was still unable to wipe off the grin in her face. "You're becoming awfully possessive lately, aren't you Dr Isles?" she then teased, unaware of the drop of her own voice.

And again Maura smiled, feeling strangely comfortable with her friend's teasing words. But maybe she couldn't deny it. Somehow the idea of having someone, having Jane, no matter the context, did feel oddly fulfilling.

She opened her mouth to reply, but as her eyes flickered over the room, they caught Jane's opened closet - and she was completely thrown off from what she was about to say. She looked over at Jane briefly, now the playful gleam in her eyes all gone to instead be replaced with obvious distress, before her eyes settled back on the closet. Without another word she put down her glass on the bedside table, and scooted off the bed.

"You know-," she then said with slight dissatisfaction in her voice, and turned back to her friend as she reached the closet, "-this would be an excellent opportunity to revise your wardrobe."

"Wha- Maura," Jane said, slightly befuddled by the change of the discussion, as also she scooted off the bed to follow her friend. "I don't need to do any changes to my wardrobe."

"I mean c'mon-," she then continued and gesticulated over what she thought was a rather impressive collection of designer shirts hanging in the closet, "-look at all these silky shirts you're making me buy. It's already revised more than enough."

"I thought you liked them?"

"Well, I-," Jane started to counter, before realizing she couldn't deny it. "Yeah I do. But that doesn't mean I need more."

Maura frowned and was just about to reply when she caught the sight of the still packed box of old shirts that was standing in front of them.

"Oh Jane-," she exclaimed displeased and sank down on the floor to inspect the shirts – many of which she had thankfully never seen before. "These are awful."

"Gee-," Jane rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

Not really taking much notice to her friend, Maura picked up a vaguely green-bluish, worn and washed out shirt and held it up in front of her. She turned to her friend with an appalled expression on her face. "Jane, this is so washed out you can hardly tell its original colouring! You have to throw this away!" And without really waiting for Jane to respond, she put the shirt aside and started to scrutinize the rest of the shirts in the box.

"Alright, that's enough," Jane interrupted sternly, not at all happy about the dissection of her clothes, and pulled her friend's hands away from the shirts. And closing the closet door and shutting the lids of the boxes, she then pulled her rather disappointed-looking friend up from the floor. "Ok, so we obviously have to set up some boundaries," she said matter-of-factly. "My closet: my business. Ok?"

Not waiting for a reply, she guided her friend back to the bed. "And you-," she continued and looked at her friend, firmly pressing her down on the bed. "Sit."

"But Jane-," Maura complained, but was quickly cut off by Jane.

"I mean it Maura," she said sternly, and for extra measurements added an exaggerated defiant look.

For a moment Maura remained unyielding, before she then gave in with a disappointed pout.

Offering a faint smile as a thank you, Jane removed her hands from the ME's shoulders and climbed back on the bed.

Maura though, sat still for another moment. "But I thought I had you-," she then couldn't help but feebly press out.

Jane's head snapped back, but seeing the innocent expression on her friend's face she failed suppressing a smile.

"No," she however replied with slight feigned firmness, before they both with lingering smiles took their previous spots next to each other on the bed.

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><p>And that was where they stayed.<p>

Then, some hours later, with empty glasses of champagne standing on the bedside tables, the darkness of the night outside, they were just lying next to each other, doing nothing really. A comfortable silence had fallen upon them, and Maura found herself enjoying the moment immensely. Just being there; listening to their breathings, feeling the presence of her friend. Of some reason Jane was lying unnecessary near, lying on her side towards Maura only inches away, her hand resting gently on top of Maura's arm, and that was something Maura couldn't help but find herself enjoying in particular.

She had always appreciated Jane's closeness – physical or otherwise. That was no secret. It may have startled her when she at first had become accustomed with Jane's easiness to touch people, to touch Maura. But that was simply because Maura had never been a very physical person herself, and it hadn't taken long until she started familiarize herself with it and appreciated it. It had even brought out a somewhat similar ease for physical contact from Maura. Soon she had found herself treasuring their physical closeness enormously.

Because she had never had anything at all like it before. She had never had any close friends, never any siblings. She could hardly remember if her parents had ever hugged her when she was growing up. It was only from the men she had dated that she had ever received any kind of physical contact from at all really, and that contact- well, that was on a whole other level, and rarely did they offer anything that went beyond sexual. Never did they offer anything remotely like the contact Jane's did.

Because there had always been something special, something warm and comforting, with the way Jane touched her – and that was all new to Maura.

The way she, without any reasons or ulterior motives, could reach out to just brush her arm, put a hand on the small of her back or thigh, or simply take her hands in hers as a way of reassurance. The way she always seemed to know exactly when Maura appreciated the contact the most and never hesitated to just let her comforting arms wrap around her, enfolding her into a protective embrace. Or the way she didn't flinch or pulled away, but just smiled appreciatively or maybe even returned the gesture, when Maura herself couldn't stop herself from reaching out to touch her friend.

It made her feel special. Appreciated. Maybe even loved.

And that was just one of the many reasons why she valued Jane's friendship more than any other relationship she had ever had. And now, when Maura had noticed that Jane seemed even less restricted to offer any of those comforting touches; that she felt comfortable enough to be laying here now, close, her hand on Maura's arm as it had for the last twenty minutes; that she previously that day had repeatedly reached out to touch her, even kissed her on the cheek spontaneously, was to Maura simply wonderful. Surprising, maybe, but wonderful. Almost overwhelming.

But despite how much she loved it, despite how much she wanted to just enjoy it and hope it simply was a component to this new stage of their friendship as house mates, the scientist in her refused to let her enjoy it any longer. The scientist in her needed to know the causes for her friend's change.

And so, instead of snuggling closer like she desperately found herself wanting to do, she forced herself to inquire about the facts.

"Jane?" she said, breaking the previous comfortable silence.

"Yeah?"

"Is there a reason for this increasing physical affection you are showing me?"

Jane pulled back and looked at her friend. "What?

"I have noticed that lately – and maybe today especially - you have increased your physical affection towards me, and I was wondering if there is a reason behind it."

Still befuddled of her friend's statement, Jane frowned. "I haven't done that."

"Yes-," Maura nodded, "-you have."

Jane cleared her throat awkwardly, and felt to her dismay unable to argue against her friend. But she had been feeling so relaxed and high-spirited that she hadn't really thought much what she had been doing lately. "Gee, I'm sorry-," she said, almost sounding offended, and removed her hand that she just noticed was resting on her friend's arm. "Didn't know it would bother you."

Maura bit her lip, already missing the contact, and tentatively, as if to really make sure she could, she put Jane's hand back on her arm. "It doesn't," she then said. "But-," she then started, wondering about the best way to approach the subject. "Well- it's not that now when you have realized what everyone is saying about us, that you have started seeing us in a different light, have you? I mean about us being together romantically?"

"What?" Jane frowned. "No. Of course not." She glanced over at Maura, suddenly feeling worry wash over her. "Why?" she then asked, sounding a bit too nervous for her own liking. "Are you?"

Maura shook her head. "No." And feeling pleased by Jane's reply, she smiled vaguely. "I just wanted to make sure."

She turned on her side, facing her friend, and slightly tentatively she reached out to touch her wrist, softly letting her fingers run down to entangle with Jane's. "Because best friends can be this close, right?"

Jane smiled; relieved, happy, that her friend was on the same page as herself. "Yeah," she shrugged. "Absolutely."

And almost as if wanting to prove her point to both of them, or just being unable to contain her sudden joy, she leaned over and gave her friend a kiss on the cheek.

But as she noticed Maura tense slightly, she quickly pulled back again.

"Ok- so maybe that was going a bit too far," she hurriedly said and cleared her throat. And feeling a wave of self-doubt washing over her she rolled over on her back and pressed her head against her pillow, abruptly removing her hand from her friend's while doing so. What was wrong with her? It was one thing being close and touchy-feely (which she in itself hated to admit), but going around kissing her friend sporadically was just a whole other level of closeness. No matter that her actions just seemed to bubble out of her on its own, or how much she wanted it to. No matter how right it felt.

She shut her eyes tight, suddenly overthrown by panic. Oh god, what if everyone right? What if she was just fooling herself? What if she, just like everyone was saying, was in love with her friend? She swallowed nervously. But she couldn't be. She didn't want to be. For both of their good, she didn't want to be.

But not letting her go on anymore with her unproductive soul-searching, Maura brought her out from her thoughts. "That's alright," she said. She couldn't deny that she didn't react on her friend's sudden desires to kiss her, but it wasn't that she felt badly towards it. Because she really didn't. At all. It just- took her by surprise.

And despite the slight panic that was still visible in her friend's eyes, her own uncertainty of how close they should be, she reached out to gently brush away a string of hair from her friend's face. "I- I am rather liking it," she then added most truthfully. She looked at her friend, offering a hesitant smile.

When Jane gazed back at her, looking nothing but relieved, her own last insecurities left and then finally she allowed herself to do what she had wanted all along; scooting closer, nuzzling up against her, letting the warmth from her friend's body permeate her own. Only slightly tentatively she let her hand slip across Jane's abdomen.

Jane smiled and couldn't resist but let her own arm wrap around her friend, slightly pulling her closer. She was not only relieved by her friend's reassurance, but also very much pleased that she was not the only one enjoying being close. Because friends _could_ be this close. Maybe not any two friends, but she and Maura obviously could. Because if they were both considering each other as a friend, that was what they were. It really was as simple as that.

"So still friends then?" she then however found herself asking a moment later, her voice slightly insecure.

With a particularly content smile on her lips, Maura nodded against her friend's shoulder and closed her eyes. "Close friends."


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you as always for the wonderful reviews! You really make my days a whole lot better! =)**

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><p>Maura woke up with a smile on her lips.<p>

She was living with Jane. That was the first thought that crossed her mind.

She was warm, comfortable, and it was the morning of their first day living together. Waking up felt wonderful indeed, and wanting to treasure the morning bliss for another moment she didn't just yet open her eyes. Instead she just sighed contently and inched closer to the warm form lying next to her.

When she opened her eyes some moments later and realized where she was, she was still surprised.

She had only planned to rest the previously night, not to actually fall asleep. Apparently, though, she had. Because there she was, lying in Jane's bed with Jane close beside her. Very close in fact, Jane lying against her with her one arm splayed out across Maura's torso. And -there was no denying it - it felt surprisingly natural. Not the slightest bit odd, strange or distressing – but just _natural_. And pleasant.

She knew she had been reassured from her slight concerns after their talk the previously night, but still she was almost a bit overwhelmed over how much more relaxed she felt about it now. How comfortable she was by lying next to her friend like this.

How utterly as ease she was.

She smiled, and turned to look at her friend when she noticed her stirring next to her. There was a sleepy, but genuine, smile spreading across her friend's tired face when her brown eyes found Maura's, and suddenly Maura felt even more wonderful. Without really giving herself a moment to think about it, she leaned over and gave her friend a peck on the cheek. "Good morning," she said, the smile on her face perfectly portraying her good mood.

Still not fully awake, Jane looked back at Maura through half-opened eyes. "Uhm- good morning, Maura," then came the slightly surprised, but appreciatively, reply.

She rubbed her eyes, and although feeling as comfortable with their closeness as Maura did, she rolled over on her back, her arm inevitably leaving its position on top of Maura. She glanced down their bodies that were outstretched on her bed. "So this was a surprise," she then said with a yawn and looked back at her friend. "Did you fall asleep while meditating again, or what?" she joked, not really addressing the fact that she was the one who had had Maura practically pinned under her outstretched arm.

Maura chuckled, remembering the first time she had accidentally fallen asleep next to Jane in her bed. She suppressed a yawn with the back of her hand and rested her head back on her pillow; showing no real sign of either replying or going up.

Jane smiled, and following Maura's lead, she fluffed her pillow before settling back on it. "Because you know- if you'll continue to accidentally fall asleep next to me like this I might get suspicious."

Maura smiled and turned her head to look at her friend, again feeling rather amazed how utterly happy and content she had woken up this morning. Closing her eyes again, she smirked. "Who said it was accidental?"

Jane laughed. "Oh, it's not accidental?"

Maura shrugged, not really caring what her friend would make of it, nor why she would let her believe it would be anything but accidentally.

"So can I expect you to slip under my covers at night now as well?" Jane then asked with similar playfulness as previously.

Maura laughed, and opened her eyes yet again. But of some reason she decided not to answer her friend, but instead she just turned on her side towards Jane, burrowed her head in her pillow and again closed her eyes; seemingly to this time really fall back to sleep. "It's nice to feel the warmth of another body next to you while you sleep-," she then said sleepily and moved a bit closer. "And research have shown that it can induce a sense of feeling safe and protected that can make you sleep more relaxed-"

"And your body- it's excellent for that," she then added just as sleepily and nuzzled closer still, her hand coming up to rest lightly on Jane's lower rib cage, her one leg almost sneaking around Jane's. And sounding as if she indeed was about to fall back to sleep, she mumbled contently, "warm, soft-"

"Maura-," Jane smirked amused and looked down at her friend, mechanically ignoring the suddenly increased heat permeating her own body. "Is that a confession?"

Maura smiled playfully against her friend's shoulder, before she opened her eyes and sat up. "No."

Jane laughed as also she sat up, but still none of them showed any signs of actually getting up. Instead they sat silent for a moment; both just musing about the fact that it was their first day as housemates. And they both felt unexpectedly excited when imagining what they could do, anticipating of how it would be like.

"So- what do you wanna do today?" Jane then said and looked at her friend, perfectly aware of the excitement that must be portrayed in her face.

Maura smiled, the anticipation just as visible along her features. She even managed to dismiss the thought of the mess of boxes and things she knew were shattered throughout the house that she knew should be their focus for the day, and allowed herself not to be bothered by it today. But before she could voice any suggestion of what to do for their first day, Jane answered her own question.

"Let's stay inside all day and do nothing," she suggested, the previous smile still lingering in her face. "We don't have work until tomorrow and now when have the whole lot of pets in the same place we really don't have to get out of the house."

Maura smiled, feeling surprisingly pleased by the proposal. But being the logical person that she was, she however the next moment found herself arguing against it. "Well-," she said practically, "-we would have to walk Jo."

"We'll open the backyard door," Jane shrugged.

"But we would have to go to the grocery store. We have nothing to make for dinner."

Another shrug. "We'll order in."

Maura opened her mouth to go on with another argument, but realizing she really didn't have any – which, actually, she was rather happy with - she closed it again.

"So breakfast in bed and stay in PJ's all day?" Jane then winked.

Maura looked down on her yoga pants and sweater she had fallen asleep in last night, and frowned confused. "We're not even wearing our nightclothes."

Jane glanced down as also she realized they were indeed not wearing their PJ's. "Well we could always change," she shrugged.

Maura gave her a sceptical look. "That would be very illogical. I am willing, however, to engage in your other suggestion."

"Breakfast in bed?" Jane grinned.

Maura shrugged in reply. Any other day the suggestion would have appalled her, but today she found it rather appealing. Today she felt like she could do anything.

"My my-," Jane laughed. "The sophisticated Dr Isles is willing to eat in bed. Careful you're not turning into a Rizzoli."

Maura chuckled and got up from the bed. "I think I will be able to control myself."

"Oh don't be so certain of yourself," Jane replied and followed Maura off the bed. She grinned self-confidently. "I can be very influential."

Maura rolled her eyes. "I know." She shook her head, amazed of the things her friend had made her done over the years. "I still can't believe you persuaded me to have cold pizza for breakfast the other week."

Jane grinned. "One of my most cherished achievements."

But when she noticed her friend steering her steps to somewhere that was not the kitchen, she looked at her in confusion. "Hey, where are you going?"

Maura looked back at her just as confused. "To take a shower and change."

"Uh uh," Jane shook her head. "No shower."

"What? Why?"

"Breakfast in bed remember? Walking around in our substitute PJ's all day?"

Maura looked back at her as if she was speaking a foreign language.

Jane sighed at her friend's ever astonishing ignorance for the most ordinary things. "You're not suppose to do any of the normal stuff but just walk around in the same clothes you slept in, and be general lazy and disgusting all day," she then explained helpfully. "Kinda like prolonging the morning until night time. Shower is a big no."

"What?" Maura laughed. "You're not serious?"

"Oh this is dead serious," Jane deadpanned.

"But that's unsanitary and actually rather disgusting. What is the fun with that?"

"And walking around an entire day in wrinkled clothes and without showering-," she then continued with a slight displeased shake of her head. "I wouldn't be able to relax."

Jane just looked at her friend, and sighed. "Ok, you've killed it," she then said with a disappointed wave of her hand and turned to leave. "No breakfast in bed. No PJ's. Just let's go have breakfast ok?"

"Jane-," Maura complained and hurried after her friend, feeling surprisingly disappointed to not try this new custom of her friend's. "Alright, I won't shower," she then gave in and grabbed her friend by her wrist, urging her to stop. "And I won't change until at least later."

She smiled as Jane stopped and turned to look at her. But unable to give in fully to her friend's odd manners, she continued tentatively. "Just- let me brush my teeth?" She smiled pleasantly.

And unable not to when seeing her friend looking at her like that, Jane gave in. "Fine."

Maura smiled contently, and turned to leave to the bathroom, but then she stopped, motioning towards Jane's mouth and morning breath. "And you really should as well."

"Gee thanks," Jane rolled her eyes, but willingly followed Maura into the bathroom.

And doing at least some of the things they always did, they went about their morning procedures. Washing their faces by the double sink vanity unit; brushing their teeth at those same spots; and then, the part Jane appreciated the least: Maura, after applying some fancy moisturizer to her face, handing the container to Jane.

And like many times before Jane just looked at the small container and groaned. "Maura- c'mon."

Maura sighed. "Just use it," she replied impatiently. "You'll thank me later."

And before Maura could go on about another lecture about how skin needed vitamins and strange oils or whatever not to crumble up later, Jane took the container from Maura's hand. "Fine."

"But only because you're gonna have a Rizzolian breakfast in bed and walk around in the same clothes you slept in all day," she then added while rubbing the cream onto her face. In fact, she kept muttering about both this and that, and it wasn't until some moments later when she opened the cabinet to put the face cream back that she ended her tirade. Instead she was left staring in disbelief at the products she found inside the cabinet. "I did _just_ move in didn't I?"

Confused by the obvious question, Maura followed her friend's eyes and leaned over to look inside the bathroom cabinet – almost as if the reason for her friend's question would show itself in there. But as expected she only found the usual sight of her and Jane's things; Maura's slight excessive amount of make-up and body and hair products on the left hand side and Jane's rather few products in comparison next to it.

"All this stuff was here already," Jane then stated more to herself than to Maura. "I didn't put any of it in yesterday."

Now realizing Jane's train of thought Maura pulled back from the cabinet. "Oh," she said. "Well, that's what I said. That you were living here already."

"What?" Jane looked at her friend. "When?"

"When I first asked you about moving in," Maura replied. "I said that you were basically living here already, and you replied that you weren't and that you just liked 'hanging out' here. Remember?"

"Uhm, yeah- sure," Jane replied slightly absent-mindedly, not really sure she did remember that. Instead she was mostly just amazed that they had been living together for quite a while. They obviously had the rituals; she had had her things there. She felt comfortable and at home. Still, she couldn't help but thinking that it really felt different today anyway. Because today she was _actually_ living there. Officially. She didn't just feel at home, she _was_ at home. She belonged there. She smiled to herself, not really caring about the fact that she was yet again feeling oddly high-spirited over something that really wasn't that big of a deal. Because who was she kidding? She had felt oddly exuberant happy about all kinds of small and banal things lately. She was constantly smiling, frequently laughing cheerfully. Hell, the smile on her lips now was almost starting to become her permanent expression. But she granted herself that. She had lived through big parts of her life feeling anything but happy. But now, now she was good. And she liked it.

She caught her friend's eyes in the mirror and smiled, bringing a similar smile to Maura's lips. But then the next moment she broke the eye contact again, again getting lost in thoughts. Maura, however, lingered her eyes.

She knew her friend had a tendency to look at things very grimly; that her profession as a detective had made her feel sceptical and dubious towards most things and that she had been through some things that made her to rightfully feel so as well. She also knew that her friend's protective and selfless nature rarely gave her the opportunity to just take care of herself, or do what was best for her. Rarely did she allow herself to just be happy.

It was good to see her smile. To see that she lately smiled very often. To see her looking as happy and content as Maura had been lately. And even if she almost felt a bit selfish for thinking so, Maura couldn't help but hope that it had something to do with them moving in together – because that was certainly why Maura herself had been feeling so happy lately. That maybe her friend felt as if today was as special that Maura found it to be. She would never allow herself to assume that that was the case, but still she couldn't help but _hope_ that that was so.

"You know-," Jane then said a bit absent-mindedly, a vague smile still on her lips, and brought Maura out from her thoughts. "I think this will be really good."

Uncertain what her friend was talking about, Maura looked at her in the mirror with a slight confused expression.

"Living together," Jane then explained, sounding uncharacteristic calm and peaceful. She caught Maura's gaze again in the mirror and smiled. "I think it will be really good."

Realizing she just got the answers to her previous speculations, Maura smiled. Or beamed, really. And feeling encouraged from Jane's reassuring honestly, relaxed and at ease from their talk last night, she stepped closer and gave her friend for the second time that day a quick kiss on the cheek as a reply.

Despite feeling a bit surprised of Maura's unabashed move, Jane smiled again.

But the next moment it turned into something looking more like a smirk. "If you will be able to keep your hands off me," she then joked with her more usual good-humoured tone, offering her friend a playful grin.

Maura swatted her friend's arm, and was again struck by the comfortableness that had come over them. How easy everything felt. She knew her friend was just joking just now as a way to take away the seriousness of previous moment, but still there were no denying they really were feeling more comfortable than ever with each other. Maura had for sure never felt more relaxed and comfortable with her friend before.

And maybe that was why she didn't really know what she was doing when she the next moment absent-mindedly walked over to the toilet.

Jane, however, was suddenly very aware of Maura's action. In fact, when seeing Maura hooking her thumbs in the waistband of her pants – in a way that to Jane looked very much as if her friend was planning on using the toilet – she couldn't help but jerk. "Whoa! Maur! Hey!" she exclaimed and waved her hands nervously towards Maura's, luckily, still clad hip area. "What are you doing?"

Maura looked down at her hands and found herself blushing. Automatically she removed her hands from her pants. "Oh- sorry."

She rolled her eyes embarrassed for herself. They were indeed getting comfortable with each other. Not that Maura thought using the toilet in each other's presence would be so strange – she was after all quite comfortable with her own body and didn't quite understand everyone's fuss about nudity - but she knew that her friend might not share her easygoingness about the matter.

It was rather amusing to watch her friend reacting about it though. And seeing Jane now, a partly embarrassed and partly nervous expression on her face, Maura couldn't help but to smile. She looked at her friend with feigned innocence, shaking her head questioningly. "You don't think we're ready for that yet?"

Despite realizing her friend was just teasing, Jane found herself swallowing nervously, and before she really knew what she was doing her eyes automatically glanced down her friend's body – and much to her surprise she noticed her gaze lingering. Quickly she snapped her head back up. "Uhm- no," she cleared her throat uncomfortably. But annoyed by the sudden nervousness that had come over her, she forced herself to snap out of it as she looked back at her friend. "No we're not," she said confidently.

"So just-," she then continued and let her eyes again glance down to her friend's hips - this time with a bit more self-control - before looking back up, "-keep your privates to yourself."

She looked away, hoping to push the nervousness away. To her surprise that was fairly easy, and instead she found herself, much to her surprise as well, questioning her own reaction. She knew she had always been modest about some things, but now she really found herself questioning why she freaked out over her friend's unserious, maybe, but actually rather valid, suggestion.

But bewildered by her own relaxed attitude, she shook her head to push also those thoughts away.

"Ok- so I- uhm- I'm gonna go start on breakfast," she then instead said a bit absent-mindedly.

But as if just realizing what that statement actually meant today, she grinned. She turned to look at her friend, the wide grin still plastered in her face. "I'm gonna go make breakfast in _our_ kitchen," she then repeated with a special emphasis on a certain word. "In _our _house. That we're gonna have in _our _bed."

But realizing what she just said she abruptly stopped, her previous grin gone in an instant. "Ok not _our_ bed-," she quickly altered, an unavoidable blush spreading in her face. "My bed. Or your bed." She cleared her throat, annoyed at her own nervous ramble that she found herself unable to stop. "Not ours."

Maura laughed, again finding the flustered Jane adorable. It wasn't often it came out from her otherwise badass detective friend, but whenever it did, Maura couldn't help but love it.

But not quite as fond of her friend' amused reaction, Jane shot her a dirty look, causing Maura to immediately offer a slight apologetic look.

And thinking they had dropped the subject, Jane was just about to leave for the kitchen when Maura spoke again.

"Fehlleistungen," she stated matter-of-factly as a way of explaining Jane's slip of the tongue. "When an error in speech or action portrays an underlying wish or desire that of one reason or another is repressed to the unconscious. Commonly referred to as a Freudian slip."

"I know what a Freudian slip is," Jane responded knowingly, the glare she was hoping to give her friend somehow turning into an undeniable smile. "But this wasn't it."

"Well-," Maura mused, tilting her head thoughtfully. "You wouldn't be able to say that it was _not_ a Freudian slip, as it would be your unconscious speaking and not the thoughts of which you have control over. You really would be unable to make such a claim." She smiled pleasantly. "I think maybe you enjoy sleeping next to me more than you're willing to admit."

Jane failed suppressing a grin. "Well, I'm not the one who 'accidentally' falls asleep in my bed all the time," she then said, a hint of playfulness to her voice. "So maybe I wouldn't be the only one with an unconscious trying to tell me things."

Maura opened her mouth to retort, but then closed it again. Instead she couldn't help but shoot her friend a displeased, but most good-humoured, look.

Jane smirked proudly. "That's what I thought," she then said before she left the room to start on their breakfast. And again, the most obvious things were left to the subconscious parts of their minds.


	9. Chapter 9

**I hadn't planned for this chapter but was inspired to write it after a request/prompt - so thank you, TheTruthIsInsideOfYou, for giving me the idea! I hope you will like it. **

**I had some trouble finish the chapter though, and I am still not certain if I'm pleased with the end result but I figured it was about time I updated. I hope it turned out ok.**

**Oh, and thanks as always for all the wonderful reviews! I hope you keep them coming ;)**

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><p>There was something special about that day. That first day living together.<p>

There really was no doubt about it, in either of their minds. They might go about their day in a somewhat normal way - even though the bright smiles reaching their lips whenever their eyes met were without doubt increased - but still there was definitely something special about the whole day and the way they interacted.

It was almost as if they were walking around in their own little bubble. A pleasant and problem free bubble, where there were no cases, no autopsies, and no bugging families. No concerns or restrictions of how close they could be; no cares about their surroundings. It was just the two of them. Enjoying those first moments of their new life.

Not even when they – despite their previous reluctance to it – had decided to go outside and take Jo Friday for a walk in Boston Common did they really take much notice to the world around them.

It wasn't until Maura sat down on the park bench to wait for her friend while she dropped in at a nearby café to buy a coffee - that much to Maura's amazement Jane insisted she absolutely had to have - that Maura was left to take in some of her surroundings.

She glanced out over the park in front of her, simultaneously keeping a watching eye on Jo Friday who was sniffing around the area. The sun was almost about to set over the distant roof tops, casting a beautiful light at the colourful autumn foliage. People were walking along the many paths; some children were playing in a nearby pile of leaves.

Normally she would have felt the definite symptoms of anxiety by the many people around her. Usually she would have been busy inspecting everything, scientifically studying the world around her. Because that was usually what happened when she was left sitting idly like this. She would be uneasy by the many people and impatient of not doing anything, and she would find comfort in scrutinizing her surroundings, picking it apart and examining each and every segment of it.

Maybe she would reflect about the exceptionally cold autumn that the low temperature of the day indicated and would wonder about its reasons; speculating how much of it was caused by humans' harmful affects on the environment and how much was due to other, more natural, circumstances.

Then she would perhaps fascinate over the physiology of the deciduous trees, unable not to find the specific morphology and colour pattern of the shedding leaves somewhat similar to the corpses on her autopsy table; the leaves and bodies alike all having their own unique history to tell.

Even the people around her would she watch extensively; study them like experiments in her laboratory; testing her own wide knowledge in facial expression and body language – all the while knowing she would never really know whether her estimations of their hidden emotions and thoughts were correct.

That was probably what she would have done on any other day, but now she didn't.

Now she instead just felt a wonderful serenity inside of her and was just idly letting her eyes glance out over the sight in front of her.

Usually she would probably also feel a sensation that she would define as gloominess coming over her over the fact that it was autumn, because somehow it was when the autumn came that she always found herself feeling the most alone. When the cheerfulness of the summer would turn into winter and Christmas times. Family times. When people would start to hide away from the cold outside to gather together with their families and loved ones. When Maura would only hide away from the cold with a cup of tea inside of her big empty house, and maybe catch up on work or some of her readings.

But now neither of those things really got to her.

Now she was only struck by how beautiful it was. How everything today seemed beautiful.

She smiled vaguely for herself, and didn't really notice when her friend walked up behind her. When she however felt an affectionate hand on her shoulder she turned around and seeing her friend, she smiled again.

"Sorry it took so long," Jane said and guided herself around the bench. "This guy couldn't decide whether to have a cappuccino or latte, and then, just as he decided to go with tea, he started bitching about how his wife wanted him to use soy creamers instead of milk which caused a new round of shilly-shallying." She shook her head, clearly annoyed. "I mean, jeez, how hard is it? A double coffee with extra sugar and you're done."

She sank down on the park bench next to her friend. When she looked at her she was met by a sparkling pair of hazel eyes, a bright smile, and even though Jane found the sight unexpectedly pleasant, she couldn't deny that her friend also looked cold – and immediately she felt bad for letting her wait for so long. "Are you ok? You look cold."

Maura smiled yet again, and although realizing she was indeed starting to get a bit chilly, she felt infinitely warmer now that her friend had returned to sit next to her. "Yes I'm fine," she replied and scooted closer, decreasing the already inexistent gap between them.

Jane, however, was not entirely satisfied by that reply and resolutely she put down her coffee on the bench next to her and pulled out a knitted hat from her jacket pocket. Before Maura could protest, she pulled it onto the honey blonde's head. "There," she said, a toothy grin appearing in her face. "That's better."

Instinctively Maura figured she should reproach her friend, but failed. Instead she felt surprisingly overwhelmed by her friend's simple, but caring, action, and didn't say anything. Just smiled, as Jane rearranged some strayed locks of hair from her face.

And as she did, Jane couldn't help but be amazed by the sight of her always stylish friend in her grandmother's knitted old hat. Somehow she looked goofy and beautiful all at the same time, her sparkling big eyes looking up at her under the brim of the moss-green woolly hat. The slightly red cheeks and nose, cold from the surprisingly brisk air, her warm and adorable smile, only added to that image.

"You look cute," Jane said, catching her friend's eyes with hers. She offered a bright, yet tender, smile and brushed away an already arranged string of hair from her face, before then finally letting her hand drop.

Maura's smile widened and it was with slight reluctance Jane had to break their eye contact. Instead she picked up her coffee and looked out at the view, slightly absent-mindedly taking a sip.

Several moments past until she voiced an approval for her anticipated hot drink. "Damn this is good," she said, taking another sip.

Maura laughed at her friend's apparent satisfaction before she sat back against the backrest.

"You really should evaluate your caffeine intake, Jane," she then said and looked at the very large cup of coffee in her friend's hand. "It is alarming of the self-inflicting damage you're causing your body by consuming such high amount of caffeine."

Jane turned back to look at her. "Hey, you're the one who told me about that study of how caffeine being good against heart attacks, or whatever."

"Not heart attack, Jane. Stroke," Maura corrected her friend. "And that was if you had two to three cups of coffee a day. Not the amount you consider as your daily dosage. And considering the fact that we have already had coffee twice today already, those additional 180 milligrams of caffeine that approximately contains in the coffee in that very large cup really do your body no good."

"Yeah, well-," Jane shrugged and took another sip. "It's good."

Maura just shook her head, before they both turned silent and instead just looked out at the beautiful scenery in front of them.

"I know you've been all around the world and probably seen the most beautiful places and all of the world wonders-," Jane then broke the silence many moments later, "-but I mean, look at this." She let her hands motion over their view of the park. "Boston in the autumn must come pretty high up on that list."

Maura smiled. "Well, the perennial fall foliage of New England is well known to be exceptionally beautiful and even though I would find it impossible to rank places or sceneries in order of preference based on their natural beauty as it would be both very subjective and fluctuating, at the moment I feel myself inclined to agree."

Jane just looked at her friend. She had stopped listening somewhere along 'fall foliage'. "Huh?"

Maura smiled again, realizing she had lost track of herself. Absent-mindedly she took the coffee cup from her friend's hand. "It is rather beautiful," she then simplified her statement and took a sip of the hot drink.

Jane rolled her eyes, not even bothering to reply, before she again looked out over her beloved hometown. But then, some moments later, she suddenly realized she was sans her coffee.

"Maura-," she complained and looked down at her friend's hands when realizing where her coffee had disappeared to.

Maura looked down at the coffee in her hands, not quite aware that she'd even taken the cup. "Oh-"

Jane looked at her with a part annoyed, and part amused look. "You always do this."

"I-," Maura started to retort, but realized that she really couldn't, she stopped and gave her friend a sheepish look. "Yes."

"Why don't you just tell me you want one when I buy some for me?" Jane replied with feigned irritation.

"Because I don't want to expose my body to the various unhealthy compounds existing in coffee more than necessary."

Jane gave her an incredulous look. "And by drinking mine you don't?"

Maura frowned, obviously unable to find a winning argument to that, and for a moment she debated with herself whether to hand back the coffee to her friend. But then she instead just brought the cup to her lips, taking another sip. "But it's good," she repeated her friend's previous words, smiling pleasantly at her, before letting her both hands encircling the warm paper cup. "And warm."

Slightly surprised to hear her friend was still cold, Jane forgot about the discussion about the coffee. "Hey-," she protested and gesticulated towards the hat on her friend's head. "I gave you my grandma's woolly hat. No one can be cold in that hat."

Maura smiled and absent-mindedly fingered on the woolly fabric on her head, feeling oddly happy to hear that information about the hat her friend lent her. "Your grandmother did this?" she then asked in amazement and looked at her friend. "Whom I met at Angela's birthday party?"

"Nonna?" Jane exclaimed in shock. "Hell no. She wouldn't know a sticking needle from a screwdriver. The only housework she can do is cook."

"No, grandma is dad's mom," she then explained. "She's crazy about these handicrafts stuff and gives all of her grandkids a new set of a knitted something every Christmas. They might not be the best the world have seen - sweaters with arms with different lengths, ill-matching socks and everything with colour combinations that make them look as if a leprechaun have thrown up on them - but they're always nice and warm." She shrugged and took the coffee from her friend, took a sip, only to hand it back to her the next moment. "I like them. 'Cuz you know- they're grandma's."

Maura smiled, enjoying listening to her friend talking about her family as she always did.

Jane turned to look at her, surprised her friend wasn't yet aware of all of her family members and their crazy habits. "You haven't met her yet?"

Maura shook her head, unable to recollect that she had. "I don't think I have."

"You'd like her. She's hilarious," Jane then said, a slight smile escaping her at the thought of her somewhat eccentric grandmother, before she again shrugged. "We'll have her over on a family get-together someday."

Maura smiled. "I'd like that."

"Maybe she'll even force one of her ugly, ill-formed sweater on you this Christmas," Jane then continued with a smirk. But when seeing the surprisingly expectant smile on her friend's face she instantly grew sober. "Hey, don't look so hopeful. There's a reason why that hat is the only thing of hers I can wear in public."

Maura laughed. "I'm sure your grandmother's sweaters are lovely," she then said with a pleasant smile. "And if I would be lucky enough to receive such a gift I would certainly love to wear it."

Jane chuckled loudly. "Maura- You're used to fancy designer clothes that you spend more than my monthly salary on. You wouldn't wanna be seen dead in one of grandma's knitted sweater."

Maura just shrugged lightly, not so sure her friend was right. "Maybe I would."

It was true that she was used to expensive haute couture and fastidious with everything she wore, but still she couldn't help but thinking that a homemade knitted sweater would be the most treasured piece of clothing she could ever own. Just like the hat on her head now was the warmest thing she'd ever worn.

Instinctively she pulled the hat further down onto her head, smiling for herself.

Somehow sensing Maura's train of thought, Jane smiled as well. She knew her friend had missed out on many of the family-stuff throughout her life; Jane was happy to share some of her own with her. She gave her friend a slight squeeze with her arm – but then suddenly she flew up from the bench, surprising them both.

"Jo Friday!" she yelled out sternly and rushed after her dog who seemed dangerously close to a puddle of mud.

Maura laughed, letting her eyes linger on her friend collecting the furry little animal. But then she jerked, when a voice somewhere in the distant said her name.

"Dr Isles?"

Still feeling slightly bewildered to hear a voice that wasn't hers or Jane's, Maura turned to find the owner of the voice. She smiled when she saw Mrs Rochester, one of her neighbours.

Maura couldn't say she knew many of the people living around her – that she knew all of them by their name, age, profession and some of their more explicit medical conditions was to Maura simply to be expected (except from maybe their medical conditions that instead was inevitable) – but that was about as far as her acquaintance with them went. Mrs Rochester, however, was the one she did consider knowing to a slight more extent and the one she occasionally talked to. Basically she was the only one who didn't seemed put off by Maura's quirky or weird behaviour or appalled by her profession.

"Mrs Rochester," she said politely. "How are you?"

"Oh I'm fine," the older woman replied pleasantly. "Beautiful day, isn't it?" she then continued cheerfully, glancing out over the park. "Perfect for a Sunday stroll in the park."

"It really is," Maura replied with similar pleasantness.

"Although it is unusual cold isn't it?"

"Well-," Maura tilted her head. "I am not entirely certain what the average temperature is for today's date but as the average recorded low temperature on November First is 43 degrees Fahrenheit, and 34 on the last day of November, it could indeed be estimated that it today is colder than usual. The coldest recorded temperature in November for Boston, however, is only 8 degrees Fahrenheit, measured on November 27, 1932."

Mrs Rochester smiled somewhat forced, seemingly not really knowing what to reply to that - causing Maura to frown uncertainly as she inwardly reproached herself for not realizing that her neighbour's question hadn't been raised to be answered so specifically.

They were both a bit relieved when Jane came back.

Not missing a beat, Mrs Rochester turned to the detective.

"Hello Detective Rizzoli," she said as Jane sat down next to her friend. "How nice to see you again."

"Yeah you too," Jane replied slightly distracted, busy trying to calm down the squirmy little dog in her lap that did not at all seem happy to have been dragged away from her anticipated roll in the mud. But managing to at least somewhat keeping her dog in place, Jane then looked back up to be more engaged in the small talk. "So- how's that new alarm system working out for ya'?" she asked politely, even if she was only vaguely interested in the alarm she had been asked to look at a couple of weeks back.

Mrs Rochester smiled. "Just fine, thank you. We're really grateful for you taking the time to come over."

Jane just shrugged, although still not certain what her being a detective had to do with burglar alarm systems. "I'm just glad I could help," she then however replied.

Again, the older woman smiled, before shifting her focus back to Maura. "I noticed there was some moving going on at your place yesterday," she said. "You're not moving are you?"

"Oh no," Maura replied and shook her head. She smiled, and put an affectionate hand on her friend's knee. "Jane has just moved in with me."

She caught her friend's eyes and shared an affectionate smile, both letting their eyes linger for just a moment longer than necessary.

Moved by the warm scene in front of her, Mrs Rochester couldn't help but smile as well. "Well isn't that lovely-" she said, the joy for her two neighbours quite clearly portrayed in her voice. "You must both be thrilled."

Jane and Maura smiled, none of them really aware that the smiles appearing in their faces greatly exceeded what they would have expected. "It's kinda exciting, yeah," Jane then replied.

"Well, welcome to the neighbourhood. I hope you'll like it here."

"I'm sure I will," Jane replied with another brief smile in her friend's direction. "And we'll have a house warming later or something when I'm all settled," she then continued as her eyes were set back at Mrs Rochester. "Wanna to get to know everyone, and everything you know."

Maura looked at her friend and smiled, realizing she had not really given the idea of a house warming party a thought. But then again, she had never really held one herself and she couldn't even recall if she'd ever been to one. But of course her friend would arrange for one. She would do all the neighbourly right things, and would surely be well acquainted with all of their neighbours by the end of the month, if she wasn't already.

"How nice of you," Mrs Rochester replied to Jane's proposal, a genuinely delighted expression in her face. "Not that you aren't a regular already around here, but of course we would love to come."

"Sounds great," Jane smiled back. "We'll let you know when and how later."

Mrs Rochester smiled pleasantly, but then a slightly distressed expression appeared in her face. "I'm afraid you'll find that not everyone in this neighbourhood will be as forthcoming to you two as one might hope though-." She sighed wearily. "You would think that these intellectual Bostonians living here would be a bit more progressive and open minded, but sometimes they can all be a bunch of hypocrites." She shook her head in obvious disapproval, before settling her eyes back on Jane and Maura. "Just to give you a heads up."

But this only offered two very puzzled faces from the pair on the park bench, and immediately a somewhat self-conscious expression spread across the older woman's face.

"Oh look at me-," she exclaimed. "I'm not giving the best image of the area, am I?" She chuckled nervously for herself. "They really aren't that bad. Except from maybe one or two." She glanced over to Maura and her face was again struck by that slight self-criticising expression. "And how stupid of me, you are hardly new in the area Dr Isles - you would surely know how everything is around here just as well as I do. Especially regarding these matters."

Although slightly bewildered by the random comment from her neighbour, or why she would think Maura would be more knowledgeable about whatever it was she was talking about, Maura only found herself reacting to the fact that she would have no idea about any of their neighbours attitudes and opinions. About anything. She opened her mouth to give her, as always, most honest reply, but was interrupted when Jane spoke first.

"Uhm, yeah-," Jane said, trying not to focus too much on the slight confusing statement from her new neighbour either. "Well every neighbourhood has its own downside, I guess."

"Yes of course," their neighbour said, again looking a bit uncomfortable. She cleared her throat, obviously wanting to find something else to talk about, before she then looked back, now smiling pleasantly at them again. "So do you have any plans on getting married now as well? Or having children?"

And again the cheerful woman was met by two very stunned faces.

But then, when the slight surprise had settled, Jane and Maura looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh we're not together," Maura then replied as politely as she could, again letting her hand land atop of her friend' leg – not really realizing it would be most contradicting to her words.

Bewildered, Mrs Rochester's eyes wandered between the two women, down to the ME's hand lingering on the detective's thigh, before looking back up at them again. "I'm sorry-," she then said, a confused frown in her face, "-I don't think I understand."

Jane tried suppressing an amused grin. "We're not a couple," she said and gesticulated between herself and her friend, hoping that could clarify any confusion. "Just two regular friends moving in together."

"But Mrs Rochester didn't seem the slightest bit reassured, but just stared at them. "But you're so-," she started confused but then stopped herself as realization finally settled. "Oh, how embarrassing," she then exclaimed self-consciously. "I always thought- And now when you're moving in-." She shook her head again, embarrassment written all over her face. "Oh god, how utterly embarrassing-"

She looked up at the two again, an unnecessary regretful expression in her face. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

Jane suppressed another smile, unable not to find the nervous ramble a bit amusing, but putting the woman out of her misery she shrugged. "Hey, it seems to be the general impression nowadays, so don't worry about it."

"Oh well that's a relief," Mrs Rochester exhaled with a slight nervous chuckle. "Then maybe I haven't made a complete fool out of myself?"

Maura smiled kindly. "Of course not."

They all went silent, Mrs Rochester looking a bit lost in thought. But then she looked back up, and seemingly to be unable not to share her thoughts she spoke again. "But I must say you do make the most charming couple," she said, a slight playful smile in her face. "Not every couple do, you know – straight or gay."

Jane forced a smile, and was much to her own dismay starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. So frankly, she was rather relieved when Maura replied. "Thank you-," the ME said and not at all sharing her friend's sudden discomfort, she smiled widely, "-that's very sweet of you to say."

"And it's really too bad-," Mrs Rochester then continued, encouraged by Maura's compliance, "-maybe it would have opened the minds of the Petersons' down the street to not to be so damn bigoted."

Jane cleared her throat. "Uh- yeah. Sorry about that."

And just now sensing her new neighbour's discomfort, also Mrs Rochester cleared her throat. "Oh well, I- I better get going then," she said quickly. "But I will see you two around."

Jane and Maura smiled in return; Jane slightly more forced than her friend, as their neighbour turned to leave.

"Bye bye," Jane then added with a slight exaggerated pleasantness as Mrs Rochester said her goodbye. And for a moment Jane and Maura sat silent, but when their neighbour was out of earshot Jane broke the silence.

"God, this is unbelievable," she said and shook her head in disbelief.

Maura, however, just let her gaze linger at the departing woman, before she leaned back against her friend, her head resting lightly on her shoulder. "Yes."

"Uhm, Maur?" Jane then asked a bit uncomfortable and gave Mrs Rochester - who had just glanced back to look at them - an awkward wave. She looked down at her friend. "You know it's these things that make them believe we're a couple don't you?"

Maura was silent for a moment before replying. "Yes," she said most honestly. "I do."

She knew that people could take their interactions the wrong way; that it apparently was odd to be this close. Maybe especially in public. But Maura couldn't help it. She enjoyed being this close. She enjoyed feeling the warmth from her friend when they were sitting like this, or when she felt her friend's arm around her. That they were in public, that people saw them and could get the wrong idea, was irrelevant. She was used to be misjudged anyway.

"Uhm-," Jane again said dumbfounded, feeling both a bit confused by her friend's obvious casualness, and uncertain whether she shared her friend's easygoing approach. Not that she didn't appreciate their comfortableness or didn't want them to be able to be this close – because frankly, she really did like it – but somehow it felt as if it was one thing being close when they were on their own, or when they could joke about it with friends and family who knew the truth. Giving the wrong signals in public felt different. "Do you want people to think we're a couple?"

Again Maura was silent for a moment before replying. "No," she then said. "Or well, I don't mind."

She sat up slightly, frowning uncertainly. Somewhere in the back of her mind though, she knew that even if she didn't necessarily _wanted_ people to think they were together, she did like it all the same. Just like she knew that she liked it when their friends thought they were acting like a married couple; when it became clear that Angela would prefer to have her as a daughter-in-law. She knew it was odd, and maybe wrong, to feel so, but it felt good to be assumed – yes, assumed – to have a family. It had nothing to do with her and Jane being perceived as a couple or sexual partners. And misinterpretations from other, more distant, people only confirmed that she was considered to be normal enough to have a family.

Because even if Maura preferred not to think about it too much, she knew she had never really been considered as normal. Quite far from it actually. She had never fitted in anywhere - not in society, or any of its social groups - but always been seen as the outsider; the outsider most people found too weird to include. Not even when she was explicitly included, like in her own family into which she had been adopted and therefore chosen to belong, did she really seem to fit in.

It was not until she met Jane she slowly started experiencing how it felt to belong somewhere. Jane had not only given her the experience of having a best friend, but she had also invited her into her family; included her into the group of friends at work. Now it even seemed as if she would involve her in her own neighbourhood. Despite how strange it was, being assumed as Jane's partner really was just another way in which she felt as if she belonged.

At least that was what she told herself.

Because she couldn't say that her own appreciative feelings regarding the issue wasn't a bit confusing. Maybe especially the obvious craving she felt for being near her friend. But she had never really been good at interpreting feelings and emotions. The physiological structure of the human body or laws of physics she could understand as it was the simplest thing, but as soon as it came to things such as human emotions she was at a loss. That was after all why she thought living people were inconceivably complex – and that applied also to herself. She simply didn't know what to do or think when her own self was nothing but a confusing turmoil of emotions. What she knew now though, was that she felt good, that she was happy, and that was something she gladly left it at.

"And besides-," she then finally said, deciding to push any remaining confusion away. She looked at Jane and inched closer, tugging at her friend's arm to put it around her, "-I'm still a bit cold." She offered a pleasant, yet slightly playful, smile.

And seeing that, Jane couldn't help not to smile either. Somehow just seeing her friend's face, her innocent and lovely smile, made her own slight concerns become inexistent.

"You are, are ya'?" she grinned as she willingly let her friend sneak in under her arm.

"Mhmm," Maura nodded, although realizing it was just a ruse – a ruse she figured they were both perfectly aware of. But she didn't really care that it was and instead she just relaxed against her friend's side.

"Comfy?" Jane asked, an amused smirk in her face.

Maura nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

Jane couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. But then, with a lingering smile on her lips, she tightened her hold around her friend. And just like that they got wrapped up in their own private, carefree, little bubble again.


	10. Chapter 10

**So so sorry for the insane long wait on this update! Real life interrupted. And then some writers block happened. Now I'm somewhat back, however, and intend to finish this thing. I hope you are still interested to follow along :) **

**When I first returned to it though and tried getting back into it, I was surprised by some things. I noticed that the story I had initially planned 3 or 4 chapters for had moved way past my original plan, and that the final chapter that I've had written almost from the beginning, didn't really work any longer. That bummed me out a bit, and it was a struggle to find an alternate way. Rereading the posted chapters I also found myself questioning the whole obliviousness-thing I try to present, thinking it was a bit too un-realistic. That also threw me off a bit. Also, said obliviousness is without a doubt getting increasingly harder to write. **

**Maybe that's why this chapter felt particularly difficult to write, and I don't know how many rewrites, additions and cuts I have done. At some time I considered skipping it all together. Now, I've managed to get something together. I hope nothing of above issues will shine through, in this or upcoming chapters, and that their cluelessness don't seem too unbelievable to you all :)**

**Oh, and also, I want to thank everyone who have reviewed lately and pushed me to keep going with this story. I owe it all to you :)**

**And now, finally, I'm gonna stop talking…**

* * *

><p>"Isn't this nice?" Maura said, excitement evident in her voice, and pulled down a bowl from the kitchen cabinet. "Cooking dinner together."<p>

"Uh- yeah-," Jane rolled her eyes as she, too, moved around in the familiar kitchen to gather the supplies needed for their dinner. "Like we haven't done that before, Maur. Like every other day for the last year or so."

Maura shot her friend a somewhat irritated look. "You know what I mean," she said, and before she really could stop herself, a wide, slight wistful, grin overtook her previous irritated expression. "Now we're roomies," she said, feeling happy just being able to use that new favourite word of hers.

Seeing her friend almost burst with joy, Jane couldn't help but smile as well. And who was she kidding - she found cooking dinner together today as nice as Maura. That was the reason why she'd suggested they would pull out the old Rizzoli cookbook her mother had shoved on her some years ago after all.

"And besides-," Maura then said with a bright smile, and glanced out over the kitchen. "We have never quite cooked such a feast for ourselves before."

Following her friend's eyes, Jane looked out over the slight excessive amount of ingredients and utensils that had piled up in the otherwise impeccable kitchen. It was going to be a feast alright. Probably another proof they were both a bit excited to make something special for their first dinner living together. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she got a chance to, Maura spoke again.

"And it's so exciting to finally cook something Italian with you Jane." She smiled and pulled out the cookbook that had already gained its place in its new kitchen, absent-mindedly letting her fingers brush lightly over the cover. "You know-," she then continued and carried over the book to the worktop. "I've always been intrigued by the strong historical influences in your family's cooking. How well your mother has kept and treasured all these old recipes, and implemented it into your everyday food. It really is quite interesting. Especially since the Italian cuisine is so particularly fascinating."

Jane grinned amused, and again she opened he mouth to reply but was yet again cut short when Maura went on, now rambling historical facts about the Italian cuisine.

And instead Jane rolled her eyes. Her friend was really on a roll. She had practically not stopped talking since they had left the grocery store. Not that Jane really minded it though. She knew that she often could appear impatient and annoyed by her friend's incomprehensible and often useless rambles, but in reality she really liked listening to her talk. Half of the times she hardly understood what she said, but still it could be quite nice. A nice background sounds if nothing else.

Noticing that her friend was approaching the end of her ramble, Jane turned her focus back to Maura.

"Isn't it fascinating that these recipes have been passed down from generation to generation, first written down by your ancestors somewhere in Italy?" Maura smiled excitedly and browsed through the many handwritten recipes in the cookbook. "And that we now can cook those same dishes that they did years and years ago?" She looked up at her friend, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

"Yes, it's very nice," Jane replied with feigned irritation. "Now hand me the pot for the potatoes."

Maura frowned, not at all appreciating her friend's impatience. She passed her a displeased look while giving her the requested pot. "Why do you always have to be such a buzz death Jane?"

Jane stopped with the pot in midair and looked at her friend, doing her very best to suppress the grin that was threatening. "A buzz death?"

"Yes."

Jane cleared her throat. "I think you got your terminology a bit mixed up there, Dr Death."

Maura tilted her head and looked at her friend in confusion, and Jane failed miserably at suppressing the grin that now inevitable was spreading across her face.

"It's buzz _kill_," she then explained patiently. "Not death."

Maura frowned embarrassed. "Well-," she then said, slightly annoyed at herself for her ever-going misrepresentation of popular terms. She shot her friend a somewhat impatient look. "You are one."

Jane smiled, unable to keep up her previous mock irritation. "Ok, I'm sorry," she then offered kindly and instead gesticulated towards the potatoes that was lying next to the stove. "So you ready to try out making gnocchi?"

Maura smiled widely, and together they went about to start their Italian feast. And for the following forty minutes or so they were fully engaged in not only the gnocchi, but also their other selected courses, inevitably chatting and bantering playfully with each other along the way.

"I really don't want to criticize your great grandmother's handwriting-," Maura then said with a frown as she studied the dessert recipe she had before her, "-but this is really unreadable." She really did find the Rizzoli family's cooking traditions exciting, but she couldn't help but be frustrated at the scribble in the cookbook that she was now forced to read. Because there was no doubt about it, Maura Isles was not used to those kinds of unclear directions. Especially when she couldn't quite tell if the instructions were in English, Italian or whether they were letters at all. She flailed her arms in the air, sighing impatiently. "How much flour am I suppose to add?"

Leaving the bruschetta she was currently occupied with, Jane walked up to her friend and resting her underarm on her shoulders, she slumped down against her. Leaning over her shoulder she glanced down at the cookbook.

Slightly surprised of Jane's nearness, but of course liking it all the same, Maura turned her head to look at her, her face now only inches away from Maura's. She let her eyes linger just a moment on her profile before turning back to the cookbook, pointing her finger at the unreadable text in the recipe.

"Yeah, bisnonna's writing can be a bit tricky," Jane replied to her friend's unvoiced question and left her position against her friend's back to instead walk up next to her. Knowing however that her great grandmother's recipes were more guiding that anything else – something that suited Jane perfectly well anyway, never being one to follow recipes very well – she took the container of flour and started to pour an estimated amount into the bowl.

But this only made Maura cry out in shock. "Jane!"

Startled by the outburst Jane jumped, almost dropping the container of flour on the floor. "God Maura!" she exclaimed and stared at her friend, trying to catch her breath. "What?"

"What are you doing?" came the shocked reply.

"I'm adding flour," Jane replied, still bewildered by her friend's outburst. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

Maura stared at her in aghast, mixed in with confusion. "By just _pouring_?" she then said as if it was the most horrific thing she'd ever heard. "Without taking any measurement for the proper amount?"

Jane rolled her eyes, starting to realize where all this came from. Her scientific friend, following instructions and formulas to the point, was at it again. "C'mon Maura, it's not a chemical reaction. It's just some dessert."

"Of course it's a chemical reaction," Maura replied with still some of that impatience in her voice. "The molecules in the solid substances will react with the liquids and without the exact proportions the required equilibrium that is needed for the mixture to respond properly to the exposed heat in the oven will not be attained. Don't you know th-"

"Alright fine-," Jane interrupted before she would hear the whole process of how the ingredients would turn into a chocolate desert. "It is a chemical reaction. But it's not like we're mixing explosives for a bomb here Maur. It's torta di cioccolato."

"What differences does that make?" Maura replied, unable to see the point her friend was making. "We are producing a compound that will need specific proportions of the reactants to react properly. It really is no difference from any other chemical reaction."

Jane rolled her eyes, amazed how a cooking session could turn into a chemistry lecture.

"Ok, so obviously you need to join me more often when I bake-," she then simply said and didn't take too much notice to her friend anymore as she poured the sugar into the bowl in similar manners as the flour.

"Jane!" Maura exclaimed yet again and took her friend's wrist, stopping her for making any more, as far as she was concerned, damage to the mixture in the bowl.

But this time Jane couldn't help but laugh at her friend's antics. "Trust me ok?" she then said. "You wanted to make bisnonna's chocolate cake. This was how she made it."

Somewhat reluctantly Maura released the grip of her friend's wrist. "Fine," she said, sounding nothing but miserable to give in.

Jane smiled, and even though she knew she was by now only doing it to freak out her friend, she took another generous swift movement of the sugar. "And you can never go wrong with too much sugar," she said, a smirk threatening in the corner of her mouth.

"Jane, please," Maura said and again took her wrist, but could this time not stop from smiling as well. "I am willing to let you bake the way you are used to, but do you have to add that much sugar?" She shook her head in concern and looked at her friend. "Not that you don't have an impressive metabolism, but the amount of sucrose you already consume on a daily basis has dire impact on your dental hygiene, insulin levels and immune system - just to name a few of its many health hazards. You really shouldn't consume more sugar than necessary."

"C'mon Maura, you've already reproached me about my coffee today," Jane replied with a shrug. "You only get one of those a day." She poured some cacao into the bowl, before adding, "What does it concern you what I do to my body anyway?"

"It concerns me a great deal Jane," Maura replied, rather stunned that her friend would ever think otherwise. "You're my friend that I care for very much and when you obviously don't care for your health I will."

"And besides-," she then added and turned back to the baking, "you really have such an amazing body that I hate for you to destroy it. You really should treat it better."

When Jane didn't reply, Maura looked up only to find a very stunned face. "Really Jane-," she said as her eyes again went back to trying to read the recipe. "I have told you endlessly many times that I find you to be a very beautiful woman with an exceptionally well-proportioned body. You don't have to look so surprised."

But Jane was surprised. Or no, maybe not surprised – it was after all not the first time her friend had told her that she liked how she looked (no matter how hard Jane still found that to be) – but she was still a bit astonished. Or flattered. Or well, something. And as far as she was concerned, she was definitely not the good-looking of the two. Almost automatically she glanced down her friend's body, quickly confirming what she had always known. Maura Isles was quite the looker – anyone with eyes could see that. And before she really could censor herself, words came tumbling out of her mouth. "Well you're kinda hot as well."

And this time it was Maura who stopped with what she was doing. She looked at her friend, a smirk she hadn't really planned for, quickly spreading in her face. "You think I'm _hot_?"

Just realizing what she had said – and that 'hot' was quite different from 'exceptionally well-proportioned' – Jane swallowed nervously. "Oh c'mon Maur-," she said, trying to sound as casual as she possibly could. "It's not like it's a surprise that you're stunning."

"I'm- _stunning_?" Maura echoed, the smirk now having turned into a wide grin.

"Maura-," Jane looked up, and seeing the somewhat irritatingly pleased expression in her friend's face, she felt an annoying blush spreading in her face. "C'mon. You know what I mean."

Embarrassed she looked down, preparing herself for continuing teasing from her friend, but when her friend remained silent she looked up again. She was surprised when she this time found nothing of the previous playfulness in her eyes, but only signs of obvious musing.

She frowned confused, uncertain what to make of the expression. "What?" she asked slightly tentatively.

"Well, I-," Maura started, unsure of what to say. Regardless how amusing it was to watch her friend squirm in embarrassment, how tempting it was to continue to just tease her, she suddenly found herself only flattered by the compliments. Because even if she knew that she, herself, had never hesitated to vocalize her appreciation for her friend's appearance, she had never really heard similar reciprocating feelings from her friend. From Jane it was only sarcastic comments and quick jokes. She knew that it was often a way to cover up underlying seriousness though – Maura had learnt that after years of exposure and extensive studying – but she never really could know what was hiding beneath all that sarcasm. To hear such blunt honestly now really was refreshing. She looked up, a sincere look in her eyes. "Thank you Jane," she then said. "That's very sweet of you."

"Uhm- yeah, sure-," Jane mumbled embarrassed, suddenly finding the unreadable recipe particularly interesting. But the next second she again glanced back up at Maura, a slight worried expression on her face. "I mean, that's alright isn't it?"

Maura found her friend's uncertain eyes, and couldn't help but smile. "Us finding each other attractive?" she asked. "Of course."

Maura could never deny that she found her friend beautiful. She would even go as far as to say that she was one of the most beautiful women she had ever met. If she was entirely truthful she would even have to confess that if things were different, if they weren't friends and if Jane wasn't the most important person in her life, maybe she would even have considered the possibility of pursuing a more sexual relationship with her. But that was not what she wanted with Jane. Not now, not ever. She wanted her as her friend, her family. Not a lover that held no more meaning than the temporary company it brought; the various health and preferably pleasurable benefits the occasional orgasms gave. So obviously they could be friends that appreciated each others appearances; they had been so for years.

But seeing the insecurity still gracing her friend's face she continued reassuringly, "I'm sure plenty of best friends find each other physically attractive."

Somewhat absent-mindedly Jane nibbled her lip. She hated to confess it, but somehow she still couldn't entirely shake that worry about how close they were suppose to be – or not be. "I'm not so sure they do."

"No?" Maura wondered, a slight insecure frown starting to appear on her forehead as well. And finding herself unexpectedly keen to find an argument to her friend's statement, she licked her lips in thoughtfulness, automatically searching her mind for social references that could convince them both. "Well, obviously we do," she then finally declared, deciding it shouldn't be more difficult than that.

Jane looked at her friend and, somewhat to her own surprise, she found herself reassured. Just like that. Because _of course_ they could appreciate their appearances. It wasn't that they necessarily found each other sexually attractive after all. Just good looking. And that wasn't anything wrong. That was a totally ok thing for friends to think. She was after all best friends with Maura Isles – just about _everyone_ must think she was about the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. The woman was friggin gorgeous after all. So that Jane noticed was inevitable. And that Maura could reel off all kinds of nice things to Jane about her appearance was just a Maura thing to do. Or it was the medical nerd in her that simply appreciated Jane's rather well-trained body that not even Jane could deny she had.

But suddenly realizing her own uncharacteristic and escalating fret, she abruptly stopped. She rolled her eyes at herself, before slumping down slightly with her hand against the worktop.

God, this was getting tedious. This returning unease that they had overstepped, were overstepping, would overstep, some kind of line. That there was some kind of unwritten rule that told them they weren't allowed to be close and amazingly good friends – even if that was exactly what they both wanted. And lately it felt as those thoughts bugged her with whatever they did. Hell, they couldn't even give each other a friendly compliment without her starting to fret.

So shaking her head in slight irritation at herself, she forced her concerns away. Forced it far away, deciding there and then to forever push any worries and doubts away. Because when had she started to be concerned what other thought anyway, to do what was expected of her?

Almost a bit too roughly she slapped her hands against the worktop. "Ok babe, let's finish this thing," she then said and without a glance at Maura, she went back to their still unfinished dessert. "I'm starting to get famished."

Slightly surprised by not only her friend' obvious change of pace, but also by the affectionate term of endearment she'd of some reason decided to add to her statement, Maura looked at her friend. And for a moment she felt unable to do much than just look at her, a lingering smile in her face. "Yes," she then finally said. "Let's."

Letting Jane add the remaining ingredients to the desert, she walked over to take Jane's previous place to tend to the brushetta and gnocchi, and for some minutes they worked in silence. But then Maura suddenly caught Jane with her eye - and the completely unsanitary and horrifying things she was doing to the cake batter - and the previous silence was gone.

"Jane!" she exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing?"

Startled by the outburst, Jane jerked. "What?" she stared at her friend in confusion, her previously chocolate covered fingers just leaving her mouth. "I taste it to see if it's ok."

"You taste the _batter,_ Jane! With your _fingers_!"

"Uh- yeah?" Jane replied. "What's the big deal?"

But when her friend only stared at her, seemingly too shocked to even formulate a reply, Jane frowned. "What? You've never done that?"

"No!" Maura exclaimed as if she'd just been asked if she had ever contaminated forensic evidence in her lab just for the shear fun of it.

"Not even when you were a kid?"

"Of course not," Maura replied, now more calmly as she briefly flashed back to her childhood. The whole idea of her being allowed in the kitchen and taking sample of the food with her hands was simply absurd.

"Man, you've been missing out." Jane shook her head and took another generous sample of the batter. "This is the best part with baking. When we were kids ma always had to fight us off so we wouldn't finish whatever it was she was making before she could put it in the oven." She laughed silently for herself, a particularly fond memory popping up in her head. "One year I actually think we did finish the whole batch of gingerbread she was making." Still with a wistful smile, she rolled her eyes. "God, she went crazy."

Maura smiled at the image, actually finding herself warming up about the whole concept.

"Try it," Jane then said and gave a nod towards the bowl.

"Oh- no, that's alright," Maura replied, and looked down at the batter sceptically. It was after all one thing imagining the Rizzoli family with hands deep in batter, but quite another thing doing it yourself. "I think I will wait until it's finished."

"Maura-," Jane laughed. "Live a little. It won't kill you. It's just some batter."

Maura looked up at her friend, a most dubious expression in her face, before again looking down in the bowl. Maybe she could give it a try, she thought. She was after all always appreciating the possibility to try new experiences, and it was just her and Jane so it wouldn't be too unsanitary. Because the chocolaty batter did look exceptionally tempting. With another brief glance at her friend, she very tentatively dipped two fingers into the mixture. But as if uncertain what to do with the sticky substance on the tip of her fingers, she just stared at it, feeling unable to bring it to her mouth.

Jane looked on amused, but then suddenly impatience run over her and before she really knew what she was doing she found herself grabbing her friend's wrist, and without the slightest bit of hesitation she took the chocolate covered fingers in her mouth.

Startled by the unexpected move, Maura froze and before she really could stop it she felt a deep blush spreading across her face. Somewhat bewildered she looked up at Jane, but as their eyes met, and the unfamiliar gaze they both found in each others eyes, panic flashed over them. A brief, confusing and alarming panic. But with her previous promises still fresh in her mind, Jane managed to dismiss it almost instantly. Still it was with a bit of forced exaggeration she moaned as she slowly withdrew the fingers from her mouth. "Yep-," she then grinned as she licked the last remaining chocolate from the fingers, and released her friend's wrist. "Still good."

Subconsciously grasping for something that could push her own panic away, Maura willingly and hastily let herself be reassured and caught up by Jane's playfulness.

"You didn't even let me taste it Jane!" she exclaimed accusingly and threw her a displeased look. And without another thought, and completely oblivious – or dismissive – to the loud beating of her heart, the slight shaking of her hand, she again dipped her fingers into the bowl for another try – completely mindless of her sudden unsanitary casualness of using the same fingers as previously as well. Careful to keep Jane's keen lips away this time, she quickly brought the chocolate to her own.

"Oh my god!" she then exclaimed in utter surprise, the previous slight awkward moment all forgotten, and stared into the bowl as if she'd just found the key to lifelong happiness. "That's delicious!"

Without giving it another thought she dipped her fingers for the third time into the bowl. "Why did I not know this?"

Jane smirked, albeit a bit surprised by her friend's change in character. "Because you're a germophobic neatfreak, afraid of getting your fingers dirty?"

Maura passed he friend another displeased look, before she couldn't keep herself from again reaching out for the batter. There was no denying it: she was completely addicted to the new discovery of chocolate cake batter.

"Ok, that's enough," Jane, however, interrupted and pulled her hand away, and instead she dragged her along towards their other projects. "C'mon, let's finish the gnocchi. The oven's not ready for the cake yet anyway."

Only somewhat reluctantly Maura let herself be dragged away, her eyes longingly set on the bowl full of chocolaty deliciousness. And it wasn't until some minutes later, when Jane was about to head over to the batter again and put it into the oven, that Maura's chocolate craving made its presence again. "Wait, I-," she said, a brief glance at her friend, before her eyes and steps without a doubt were set towards the bowl. "I'm just going to-."

"Maura!" Jane laughed, and grabbed her friend's arm to stop her. "You're gonna finish the whole thing."

"I'm not!" Maura defended. "I'm just going to have one last taste," she said, a pleasant smile now on her face, before she again started to make her way towards the batter.

But again Jane interrupted, now sliding in in front of her to block her way. She gave her a threatening gaze.

"Jane-," Maura laughed, patiently but unsuccessfully trying to get by her friend. But Jane didn't cave and after a game of feinting back and fourth, Jane had her cornered against the worktop, one arm on each side of her. "I'm serious," Jane then said. "I wanna have some desert later."

Ignoring her friend's unrealistic statement - she would hardly eat all the batter after all - Maura tried to get herself by Jane's outstretched arms. But immediately Jane's hands were on her shoulders instead, firmly keeping her in place against the worktop.

"Maura-," Jane threatened.

"But Jane-," Maura whined and gave her friend a most deplorable, almost childish, look. "It's yummy," she then tried, smiling innocently.

But Jane didn't move, and now with a slight impatient grumble, Maura again made a go to push her friend off. When Jane just firmly pushed her back, Maura slumped back with a sigh. But then a vague smirk crept upon her features, and without really giving herself a moment to think about it, her hands quickly moved around her friend's waist. And without the slightest hesitation they dropped, boldly grabbing her gluteus muscles.

But almost as if she was as surprised of her own action as Jane, she stared at her friend in shock, her eyes wide open, her mouth just as much - all the while managing to look rather pleased with herself all the same.

"Maura!" Jane exclaimed in shock. "_What_ did you just _do_?"

In an instant Maura's previous expression vanished and instead she tried giving her most innocent look. Her hands, however, did not leave, but lingered on Jane. "What?"

"You _grabbed_ _my ass,_" Jane hissed embarrassed from out of the side of her mouth, as if they were in a room full of people and not just the two of them.

Maura couldn't help but grin. "I did."

Startled by the bluntness Jane just stared at her friend. "Uh- Why?" she then finally managed to ask.

Maura smiled pleasantly, and finally having the distraction she needed, she slinked out from her friend's grip. "If you get to eat off my fingers-," she then stated matter-of-factly, "-I'm allowed to 'grab your ass', as you so eloquently put it." And with just a smirk in her friend's direction she finally made her way over to her anticipated batter.

Stunned and bewildered – and also a bit amused – Jane was frozen in place, but catching the still slight smug expression on her friend's face she quickly snapped out of it to hurry over to her. Just as Maura was about to take another sample of their unfinished dessert, Jane pushed her aside.

"You're definitely not getting any more batter," she then said somewhat sternly and keeping Maura away with one arm, she poured the batter into the baking pan and shoved it into the oven. She stood up and seeing the stumped expression in her friend's face, Jane was now the one smirking smugly.

She turned to leave, but not without another smirk as she slapped her friend's ass playfully in passing. "Now come help set the table."

Maura was not the only one who could have unabashed and wandering hands after all.


	11. Chapter 11

Their dinner had been wonderful. The food had been delicious, the setting beautiful and the company perfect. Wrapped up in their discussions and each other they had been completely mindless of the many hours that went by with them just sitting at the candlelit table chatting and laughing together. When they finally made themselves over to the sofa to have their dessert it had been unusually late. But they weren't concerned by it. For once, they didn't have to worry that it turned too late. Tonight they didn't have to have that needless but required discussion whether Jane should go home to her apartment or if she should stay along in Maura's guestroom. Because tonight they were both at home with their beds just up the stairs.

Instead they had – subconsciously or not – delayed their bedtime, and when the dessert was all finished, their glasses of Grappa drunken, they somehow ended up watching a documentary Maura had recorded a while back. It might not have been the first choice for both of them, but it was something.

When Jane finally saw the end credit roll, however, she let out a breath of relief. She couldn't deny that some of the documentaries and strange educational programmes her friend could force her to watch weren't all bad. This one, though, most definitely was.

She was not the slightest bit regretful when she pushed the off button on the remote, turning the TV black.

Ready to shoot a sarcastic comment about the dreadfully boring programme to her friend, she leaned over the form lying in front of her. To her surprise she found her sound asleep, her mouth slightly open against the sofa cushion beneath, her chest rising and falling steadily and her face unbelievably peaceful.

Jane couldn't help but smile at the sight.

She looked absolutely adorable.

Of some reason Jane couldn't even be annoyed that she had made her watch through a whole hour long documentary about ancient Rome's sewer system while she herself had fallen asleep_._ Neither did she really bother to reflect about the way they were positioned on the sofa, how very close and almost intimate they were lying; Jane lying on her side against the back of the sofa and Maura lying closely against her in front. She knew that maybe she should - that maybe it was another one of those things that she and Maura comfortably did but as friends they shouldn't; that she should see it as some kind of warning signal that they were overstepping that magical line past platonic friendship. But she wasn't concerned about it. She had promised herself not to be concerned about it.

She didn't know when, exactly, they had ended up lying like that, though. She just knew that somewhere along the way, Maura had shifted to lean against the armrest of the sofa, pulling her legs up to rest in Jane's lap. Then, some time later when the monotone voice of the documentary's narrator went on and on about aqueducts, latrines and underground water canals, Jane had tiredly leaned in against her friend. In an almost fluid motion Maura had then shifted to somehow curl up in front, simultaneously as Jane pulled up her legs to lie back behind her, resting her head on the pillow beneath. And then there they had lied, almost moulded together, and watched the programme.

Jane wouldn't even try to deny that she liked it.

Feeling unable to wake up her sleeping friend just yet, she carefully reached over to put the remote on the coffee table before her eyes again settled on her. Somewhat hesitantly she reached out to brush away a string of hair from her face. Then, with just an almost inexistent moment of pondering, she closed the small distance between them and planted a soft kiss on her temple. It was simply too tempting not too. And as her best friend she could do that. She was allowed to give in to her spontaneous, and somewhat uncharacteristic, urges to touch, just be close, to her friend. They had both explicitly and implicitly, and time after time, reassured each other of that.

She smiled, of some reason feeling impossibly warm and content, as she gazed down on her again.

It really was amazing how completely relaxed she looked, Jane then mused. How oddly relaxed it made Jane watching her. But that was one of the things Maura did to her; something she had always been able to and continued to increasingly do. Make her more relaxed and at ease; make her comfortable enough to even lie there with her without a care in the world. She simply gave her a sanctuary where she didn't have to act all tough and badass. Because she knew that was how she behaved, how she needed to act, with everyone else. She couldn't afford to do it any other way. But with Maura she allowed herself to breath and just be.

And she knew that Maura felt the same way. Not that Maura ever held back parts of herself that it sometimes felt as if Jane did – Maura would probably be physically unable to even if she tried – but Jane knew that she instead felt uncomfortable amongst other people. That she, despite her so blunt honesty, always was tense and nervous around people. But that she with Jane could let her own guard down.

It really was quite amazing how in tune and attached they were with each other. Sometimes it almost overwhelmed her how close they had become; how close they increasingly seemed to get. Because Jane had never really had anyone like that before. Maybe she had always had people around her, people who loved her and were always there for her, but still she had often felt alone. She had simply never had anyone like Maura. Someone she opened herself up to so entirely. And in the darkness of the night, watching her friend's peaceful sleep, she even allowed herself to admit that she really needed that. She needed to have someone – Maura – who she could be entirely herself with; who she could lean and even depend on when she needed to. Because Maura had done that to. Taken care and supported her. Whenever Hoyt had made her life a living hell; when she tried to recover from that stupid gunshot; all those other times her life had been nothing but a crumbling mess. Maura had always been there to hold her up.

Instinctively a smile reached her lips as an obvious, but unfamiliar, thought came to her. She let her eyes drift over the gentle, perfect, features of her friend's peaceful face, and couldn't stop the smile from widening.

Yep, there was no doubt about it: Maura Isles was her friggin rock.

She let her eyes and smile linger for just a moment longer before she finally broke through her somewhat uncharacteristically emotional thoughts. Instead she put a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder, shaking gently. "Maura?" she whispered softly.

A soft moan came from the sleeping ME as she nuzzled her face against the cushion below, pressing herself tighter back against Jane – almost as if really wanting to mould herself together with her.

Jane couldn't help but smile and she fought the urge to wrap an arm around her to comply to her unconscious, but to Jane, rather obvious, request to snuggle up against her. For a moment she also pondered if she should let her sleep there throughout the night; if she could allow herself to close her own eyes, rest her head in the nape of her friend's neck and sleep there alongside her. But letting her better judgement take charge she soon dismissed both thoughts. Some kind of self-restraint was needed after all, if this increasing closeness they were having wouldn't escalate and turn them into two completely inseparable and dependable fools.

That they were already, went completely over her head.

"Maura?" she instead repeated softly, gently shaking her shoulder again. "It's time to go to bed."

Sleepily Maura opened her eyes, and finding her friend's eyes and seeing the loving gaze she offered, she smiled tiredly. But as she the next moment pulled herself out from her sleepy state, she noticed the black TV. "Oh Jane, did I sleep through it?"

"You did, and next time you better tell me that on beforehand so I don't have to lie here like a fool watching through the whole damn thing on my own," Jane joked.

Knowing her friend's disinterest in ancient technologies, Maura searched out the hand that was still lying on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry," she said, but when she craned her neck to look back at her, she couldn't quite hide the smile over the fact that Jane had actually managed to watch through it all.

"Yeah, well, that's ok," Jane shrugged. "At least the last advertisement break was fun."

Maura chuckled and pulling back her hand she automatically pulled Jane's with her.

Jane smiled for herself, a mixture of satisfaction and amusement that she had suspected correctly; Maura did indeed want to cuddle. Willingly she let Maura wrap her arm around herself, before she on her own accord slightly tightened the embrace. If they both allowed and wanted it, there was no reason why she couldn't loosen up a bit of that self-restraint after all.

They let silence fall upon them, and as if just now realizing their first day living together had really come to an end they just lied there, feeling the warmth of the other woman, listening to their matching breathings in the otherwise silent room; almost as if wanting to prolong the evening as much as possible.

"We- we better get to bed huh?" Jane then however forced herself to say, her voice somewhat raspier than usual.

Maura sighed heavily. "Yeah," she said downheartedly, but instead of making a move to get up she increased the hold of her friend's arm, automatically pulling them closer together. But then, as if the increased closeness wasn't enough, or as if indeed wanting to find an excuse of prolonging the evening, or maybe of some entirely different reason – she wasn't quite certain herself of her motive – she started to shift to move around to face her friend. And even if Jane was just as uncertain of Maura's intentions, she automatically complied and started shifting as well to allow Maura to turn around in front.

Only a moment past before the small space of the sofa hindered their non-seamless movements.

"Wait a minute-," Jane groaned and pressed herself slightly back in the sofa when Maura somewhat clumsily, but entirely accidentally, shoved her elbow into Jane.

Trying to accommodate, Maura shifted, but hindered by not only the small space but also their both suddenly hurried desires to turn to face each other, she failed miserably and instead managed to dig her elbow deeper into her friend's chest.

"Ow- wait-" Jane then moaned uncomfortably and reached up to protect her assaulted chest, "-you're squishing my boob."

"Oh I'm sorry," Maura immediately apologized and pulled back, but as she caught her friend's eyes they both realized what they were doing and their ridiculous reluctance to go to bed. They laughed and with a lingering amused grin in their faces they rested back in the sofa.

But then, almost simultaneously, they sighed and broke their eye contact.

But still Maura didn't move or got up from the sofa. She simply couldn't. She couldn't let go of the warmth and comfortableness just yet. Instead she lowered her head, away from the inevitable prospect of getting up, away from the truth that was almost staring her straight in the face, and moved closer to the safe and comforting warmth of her friend. She let slender fingers come up to the soft skin of her friend's neck, softly running over a faint scar that she knew she had a similar one of, before they almost mechanically sneaked around to the back of her neck. Her grasp was light but natural, and probably spoke more of her true feelings than she was aware of. She buried her face into the unruly dark locks of her friend's hair.

A moment past by before she spoke.

"Thank you for today Jane," she said silently, her voice so low and muffled Jane almost didn't catch it. "And for moving in with me."

All day – or ever since Jane had first agreed to come and live with her – Maura had felt a variety of emotions. She had felt exuberant happy, ridiculously giddy, unexpectedly hopeful as well as things she couldn't even explain, but now, lying in the protective cocoon of her friend's embrace and with most of their first day behind them, it was the feeling of gratitude that almost overtook her. It was almost as if she hadn't quite realized how very grateful she was towards her friend; how much it really meant that Jane was there, living with her. "I never thought I would ever be anything but alone," she then said, a sign of her lonely past sneaking into her voice. "This really means a lot to me."

Jane felt a sting in her heart at hearing the sorrowful tone in her friend's voice as well as the clear meaning of her words. But still it wasn't anything new. She knew her friend had been lonely in her life and that she valued Jane's company and friendship just like Jane valued Maura's; that maybe Jane was Maura's rock just as Maura was hers. Instinctively she tightened the hold of the arm that had again somehow sneaked around her friend, and not bothering with any sarcasm or jokes to protect herself with, she just went with the truth. "It means a lot to me too Maur," she said. "_You _mean a lot to me."

Maura smiled, and she didn't even care to ponder that maybe she shouldn't when she pressed her lips against her friend's neck in reply. And then also Jane smiled, for not only the affectionate action but also for knowing it was an acceptable thing for them to do. And even thought they knew that they shouldn't, they let the comfortable silence overtake them yet again to allow their evening to go on for a few more moments.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, so this chapter was a bit shorter than usually (and a bit back towards complete obliviousness). Sorry about that. I actually have a second part written but I decided to wait with it.<strong> **Thing is, I have a problem. Namely, I am again wondering which direction I want to take this story (if it haven't become clear yet, I am a very indecisive person..). Up until recently I thought I would wrap up the story fairly soon, but after your wonderful reviews for the last chapter (thanks btw!) I got the feeling that many of you really want to see it go on for a while longer (more exploration of an increasing physical closeness, increasing glimpses of their unconscious, more reactions and interaction with other people etc - simply a more slow-process of breaking through their obliviousness (if that's possible. lol)). Parts of me really want to finish it as I'd planned, but parts of me are really tempted to go the longer route as well. 'Cuz I have possible scenes already lining up in my head.. So anyway, I'm kind of standing at a cross road with this chapter, so I'd be happy to hear any opinions, thoughts and ideas you have about the matter. I won't promise anything, but I might be able to sway in whichever direction :)**

**Or maybe even two, alternative, endings could be of interest? 'Cuz I might very well be willing to that as well.**

**And now I'm gonna stop vacillate. Sorry for this rant :/**


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